Lecture Series
Leeds Beckett University - City Campus,
Woodhouse Lane,
LS1 3HE
The fifth event in the Leeds Cultural Conversations series 2018/19. Presented by Professor Ruth Robbins.
Using Wilde’s social comedies as a case study in the figure’s development and influence, this talk is about both the uses and abuses of a stereotype of gay identity.
Devilish and Debonair: The Wildean Dandy and the Long Life of a Gay Stereotype A public talk given by Professor Ruth Robbins on 6 February 2019 as part of the Leeds Cultural Conversations series. For more information on the series visit www.leedsbeckett.ac.uk/lcc
In all-consuming interest in self-image, a pose of world-weary cynicism coupled with quick wit languorously expressed – these are the hallmarks of the figure of the dandy. It is a stereotype long-associated with dissident sexualities, and its high priest is Oscar Wilde. This event traces a long history of the dandy, both backwards and forwards from Wilde, to raise questions about its persistence as a marker of gay identity, in order to examine what this may tell us about cultures of representation.
Filmed by the Northern Film School.
This event coincides with LGBT History Month and is in support of the OUTing the past conference 2019. The event is also part of the Leeds Cultural Conversations series organised by the Centre for Culture & the Arts at Leeds Beckett University.
