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GAY BYRON
* gay l byron *
Gay L. Gay Byron. André Raffalovich als wh Byron’s homosexualy an extremely synthetic way, not to say rctive, but should be kept md that Byron, more than a person, is an in, a myth of English Romanticism, and that a myth is such as is supported by a mythology, which, as is well known, is an enemy of history.
Raffalovich was certaly not superficial when nductg his studi on homosexualy history and lerature, his succctns riv om substantial reasons and not om personal asssments. The origal memori of Byron, the re of the bs, was stroyed by the will of Byron’s iends, and particular by the executor, Hobhoe, who was largely volved Byron’s affair wh homosexualy, spe Moore’s protts.
GAY L. BYRON
Evintly, full publitn would have created a great al of embarrassment on many powerful people whose private life would have been put on the streets and would have heavily discreded Byron’s memory, supportg the allegatns of homosexualy, sodomy, and ct that had been brought agast him. Byron bgraphy books are many and also those who al wh the theme of the poet’s homosexualy are que numero.
For me, 2017, the greatt risk of tryg to wre a Byron homosexual bgraphy is to be a “great translator of Homer’s translators”, that is to e rather than the sourc, what others have wrten on the subject. Thomas Moore, who leted homosexual passag om survived diari and letters, lled Edlton “adopted brother” of Byron.
The Universy at prent is very gay om the fêt of divers kds. So far, the rear has been able to follow Byron’s homosexual history until the age of neteen and a half: the rultg picture is still nformg to the Byronian myth: there is the love for a boy who was two years younger than the poet, but the borr between love and iendship is very labile and the term “protector”, which Byron to signate Edlton whout beg too explic, seems to emphasize more than a difference age, a social difference, which is not overe by feelgs. We mt always keep md, however, that we are alg wh Byron’s homosexualy relyg only on the ltle that has remaed after the stctn of his Memori, wanted by his iends after the poet’s ath.
ABOUT GAY BYRON
Byron himself, as we have seen, highlights the ftive aspect of universy life, pecially the summer, but stunt life uld not be rced to rual parti and entertaments, or rather rual parti uld be tertg ocsns for heterosexual stunts, certaly not for homosexual on. There was, then, as there is now, an unrground universy life lked to homosexualy, and Byron was not alien to all this. The letter highlights many tertg facts: at least three people (Byron, Hobhoe and Matthews) ed to nvey homosexual ntent a “myster” style, so they fe , “that style which more is meant than meets the Eye”.
In a time when homosexualy was a ser offense and sodomy volv the ath penalty, a cryptic language imposed self as an dispensable secury ndn. Th a te brotherhood was created, the brotherhood “ la Metho” ( French) (Metho (endg wh “e”) = homosexualy) and the apts were the Methodist (wh “e”), who obvly had nothg to do wh the Methodist Church.
Huntg for boys is encrypted wh the botanil metaphor of llectg flowers and flowers have signifint nam: Hyacth (which allus to the boy loved by Apollo) reprents the homosexual partner available; but the metaphor go even further, bee acrdg to the legend, Hyacth died durg a lnch of disks or rgs bee the wd let go back the disk that stck Hyacth vlently.
GAY L. BYRON
Beyond the Methodist Sect and their cryptic language, Matthews’ letter ntas another very important element Byron’s homosexual bgraphy. A reflectn should be ma on a very important pot: the “lov” or perhaps more banally Byron’s homosexual terts are not directed towards s peers but towards boys of very different social ndn.
Raffalovich, at the end of the eighteenth century, will blame John Addgton Symonds for siar attus, but Symonds, while beg a wealthy man, was certaly not a lord and his attus show a substantial affectn for young men (non-adolcents) whom he falls love wh, Byron, perhaps bee he is still very young, seems to swg between romantic and goliardic attus, where homosexualy be argument of social play and hot speech between mat. (a) Coword for “homosexual”. If Matthews’s letter stopped only wh goliardic gossip about homosexualy, would jt be another maniftatn of the secratg livelihood of a group of homosexual young people, after all, nothg at all disptive, but Matthews’s letter prents another element, not immediately obv, but that needs to be clarified to unrstand the mentaly of the guys more closely.
Matthews obtas a rerd of the procs to look for Sutherland homosexualy, but he do not fd , sends out some drawgs published the papers to his iends and suggts that the three of them may reprent the scene of the assassatn. Matthews’s behavr shows some disturbg element of perversn, which go far beyond the banal gay goliarry. In the Cappucci Convent of Athens, Byron succeeds realizg his dream of a homosexual muny siar to Harrow’s, wh some extra erotic adventure.
GAY PROJECT
Hobhoe’s diary for July 17th 1810 reads, “Took leave, non se lacrymis, of this sgular young person on a ltle stone terrace near some paltry magaz at the end of the bay, dividg wh him a ltle nosegay of flowers, the last thg perhaps I shall ever divi wh him”. – Your last letter clos pathetilly wh a postscript about a nosegay, I advise you to troduce that to your next sentimental novel – I am sure I did not spect you of any fe feelgs, and I believe you are lghg, but you are wele.