OSCAR WILDE - THE TRAGEDY OF BEING EARNEST

Softcover. Then and Now Series No. 3. Taken from the Foreword : 'The title of this book reflects the fact that, according to Theo Aronson, the word "Earnest" became a synonym for "homosexual" in some circles in Britain during the 1880s. "Is he Earnest?" became a familiar question. Later this gave the title of Oscar Wilde's play "The Importance of Being Earnest" not only a double but a treble meaning.' Chapter headings include : Social Attitudes Towards Homosexuality; Prosecution of Lord Queensberry for Crimninal Libel; Criminal Libel Today; Arrest at the Cadogan Hotel; Section Eleven - A Silent Passage Into Law; Steps Towards the Nineteen-Fifties; The Abolition of Section Eleven - A Long Haul; Costs Incurred in the Trials; The Law of Homosexuality Overseas; Legal Miscellany; Prison - Then and Now. Illus., Bibliog. 91pp. softcover. From the library of true crime writer, Wilfred Gregg, with his personal b/plate. F. with no creasing to covers.