Outsiders Flashcards
Who is Bellino?
- A castrato.
- A boy who is castrated before they reach puberty so they can keep the high pitch levels of their voice.
In what year were women forbidden from appearing on stage in Papal states?
- 1686.
What is Petronio and what word did Casanova use to describe him?
- A homosexual.
- a true ‘Giton’.
What did Casanova have to say homosexuality in a European context?
- ‘Intolerance in this matter is not so irrational as in England or so savage as in Spain’ ; comparing to Italy.
How was it ensured that castrato’s were actually boys?
- Subject to physical proof –> looking at genitalia.
Give quotes to indicate the general climate of homosexuality
- ‘Religion forbids it’. Bellino –> Casanova.
- ‘God forbid!’. Don Sancho –> Casanova.
; –> reinforces Casanova’s point that homosexuality is savagely treated / viewed upon in Spain. - ‘As soon as I am certain that you are a man, I shall become as sweet as a pigeon, for it will be impossible to go on loving you’.
‘What would happen between us would be the most abominable sort of thing that can happen between men’.
(In Tom Betteridge’s writings) What was Venice seen as in Early Modern Europe?
- A place of sexual licence.
- Venice seen as a place open to the outside world, both in terms of tourists and all types of sexualities, differences etc.
(In Tom Betteridge’s writings) Generally, why was sodomy seen as a grave sin?
- Violates nature and denies procreation.
(In Tom Betteridge’s writings) What did St Thomas Aquinas have to say about sodomy?
- God created sexual organs for the purpose of reproduction.
- Using them for any other reason as sinful = against God and nature.
(In Tom Betteridge’s writings) What type of literature was available in 17th century Venice?
- Literature arguing that sexual preference was a matter of choice, not of law.
- Alcibades the Schoolboy, 1631.
(In Tom Betteridge’s writings) What conclusions were drawn?
- A mix of: persistent religious hostility bolstered by the laws of the state vs pervasive social tolerance endorsed by tribunals of the state.
= People accept a fracture between their society’s stated religious ideology and its realised belief system.
(In Kent and Hekma’s writings) How was sodomy viewed in general terms?
- As someone else having corrupted you, not your own intrinsic feelings.
(In Kent and Hekma’s writings) What happened in the Netherlands between 1730-32?
- 300 sodomites persecuted, 100 of which were sentenced to death.
= Netherlands reputed for its tolerance in other areas?
(In Kent and Hekma’s writings) Why was there a scathing return to persecution of sodomites in Netherlands?
- Golden Age ended start of 18th century –> mind-set change –> foreign cultural influence emasculating the nation, nation’s prosperity gone to pot.
- The decline of society in all corners of life –> an omen from God for allowing such tolerance of things?
(In Kent and Hekma’s writings) Give the example Amsterdam’s persecution towards sodomy.
- Between 1795 and 1811; more sodomy trials were held in Amsterdam than in the preceding sixty-five years.
