Criticism Quote by Kevin Sessums
![“If there was criticism about [Oscar Wilde], it was because it was written by a straight man who wasn't very educated about the gay world.” quote by Kevin Sessums](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/64f/kevin-sessums-9486_criticism_if-there-was-criticism-about-oscar-wilde_2054234.jpg)
“If there was criticism about [Oscar Wilde], it was because it was written by a straight man who wasn't very educated about the gay world.”
About This Quote
Source Interview: The New Yorker, 2015
The quote suggests that criticism of Oscar Wilde stemmed from a heterosexual, poorly informed perspective on gay experiences.
In simple terms: Critics were biased and uninformed about gay life.
Key Takeaway
Recognize bias in literary criticism.
Themes
bias
literature
sexuality
perspective
culture
Mood
reflective
critical
Type
analytical
observational
When to use this quote
- literary reviews
- academic courses
- media commentary
- personal reflection
Key Concepts
homosexuality
authorial intent
social context
Questions to Reflect On
- How do personal identities shape criticism?
- Can we separate art from critic’s bias?
A Different Perspective
The quote may oversimplify complex critical histories.
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![“[Larry Kramer] thinks Charles de Gaulle was gay. He thinks Max Schmeling was gay.” quote by Kevin Sessums](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/045/kevin-sessums-9486_gay_larry-kramer-thinks-charles-de-gaulle-wa_160828.jpg)
![“Sometimes if I am walking down the street and thinking about my panoply of God, Ganesha, Parvati [Ganesha's mother], I say "Lucifer," because he belongs in that panoply. I miss him. That's why I'm a theist.” quote by Kevin Sessums](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/b00/kevin-sessums-9486_ifs_sometimes-if-i-am-walking-down-the-stree_338066.jpg)
![“I just so desperately wanted to be published in New Yorker, and I'd so desperately try to get something in it. But I'd always get nice letters back telling me that Mr. Shawn [William Shawn, the New Yorker's editor from 1952 to 1987] just didn't like this or didn't like that about what I submitted.” quote by Kevin Sessums](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/042/kevin-sessums-9486_editors_i-just-so-desperately-wanted-to-be-publi_606050.jpg)
![“We didn't know each other [with Larry Kramer at Yale], but we had a lot of mutual friends.” quote by Kevin Sessums](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/efb/kevin-sessums-9486_friends_we-didn-t-know-each-other-with-larry-kra_608949.jpg)
![“David Remnick [the New Yorker's editor in chief]is about as interested in anything gay as I am interested in anything to do with baseball. It drives me nuts.” quote by Kevin Sessums](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/eae/kevin-sessums-9486_baseball_david-remnick-the-new-yorker-s-editor-in_636097.jpg)
![“I believe we really became friends [with Larry Kramer] when we bonded at our fifteenth class reunion in 1972.” quote by Kevin Sessums](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/68c/kevin-sessums-9486_believe_i-believe-we-really-became-friends-with_642749.jpg)
