Past Present Future

Politics on Trial: Oscar Wilde vs the Philistines


Listen Later

Today’s episode in Politics on Trial is about three trials that took place over two months in the late spring of 1895 that brought about the destruction of Oscar Wilde. Why did Wilde trigger his own doom by suing his nemesis Lord Queensbury for libel? What did he fail to understand about how he would come across in a courtroom? And how did the persecution of Wilde and his gay lifestyle reveal the hidden terrors of late Victorian England and its high society, up to and including the prime minister?

Out now on PPF+: Part 2 of David’s latest conversation with Robert Saunders in which they talk about the past, present and future of the politics of unemployment. Can Labour ever again be the party of labour? Whose work is it anyway? To get this and all our bonus episodes plus ad-free listening sign up now to PPF+ https://www.ppfideas.com/join-ppf-plus

Tickets are now available for our autumn film season at the Regent Street Cinema in London, starting on 5th September with a screening of Alfred Hitchcock’s Rope followed by a live recording of PPF with special guests Nicci Gerrard and Sean French, aka the best-selling husband-and-wife crime-writing duo Nicci French. For tickets and details on all the films https://www.ppfideas.com/events

Next time in Politics on Trial: Dreyfus vs the Conspiracy Theory

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Past Present FutureBy David Runciman

  • 4.9
  • 4.9
  • 4.9
  • 4.9
  • 4.9

4.9

254 ratings


More shows like Past Present Future

View all
In Our Time by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time

5,447 Listeners

Start the Week by BBC Radio 4

Start the Week

154 Listeners

Arts & Ideas by BBC Radio 4

Arts & Ideas

286 Listeners

In Our Time: History by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time: History

1,874 Listeners

In Our Time: Culture by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time: Culture

599 Listeners

In Our Time: Philosophy by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time: Philosophy

851 Listeners

The LRB Podcast by The London Review of Books

The LRB Podcast

293 Listeners

The New Statesman | UK politics and culture by The New Statesman

The New Statesman | UK politics and culture

143 Listeners

London Review Bookshop Podcast by London Review Bookshop

London Review Bookshop Podcast

124 Listeners

The TLS Podcast by The TLS

The TLS Podcast

181 Listeners

Backlisted by Backlisted

Backlisted

572 Listeners

Politics Theory Other by Politics Theory Other

Politics Theory Other

176 Listeners

Ones and Tooze by Foreign  Policy

Ones and Tooze

334 Listeners

Empire by Goalhanger

Empire

2,200 Listeners

Close Readings by London Review of Books

Close Readings

63 Listeners