Re: platonic date
- From: "Don Phillipson" <e925@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 31 Mar 2008 10:58:59 -0400
On Mon, 31 Mar 2008 02:11:09 GMT, "eager" <eager@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:members
Anyone can explain this to me, please?
I found the following:
"In our own century Platonic has been used of relationships between
of the same sex."
"tony cooper" <tony_cooper213@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:e1j0v3tonmiam0ra4jmauckkpumlminsro@xxxxxxxxxx
A "platonic friendship" is where two people have a close relationship
but not a sexual relationship. While it's usually used to describe a
relationship between a male and a female, it can be a same-sex
designation where - if it was not described as platonic - the
relationship might be assumed to be sexual because of the closeness.
As the OP spotted, "in our own century" hints the writer
was aware of an ambiguity:
1. Platonic friendship was used in the 20th century to
mean a profound and intimate relationship that was not sexual.
Thus a "platonic date" is activity by intimate friends that for
other couples might be courting or a preliminary to sex (e.g.
visits to a theatre or restaurant) but the platonic couple enjoy
only the food and each other's company, with no sex.
2. "Greek love" is invoked by reference to Plato as an author,
because several of his Dialogues refer to sexual partnerships
between older and younger men (common in Athens in his day,
if we believe Plato). At Oxford and Cambridge from approx. 1870 to
1940 homosexuality was accepted or encouraged, in at least some
social circles, and such Platonic Dialogues as Phaedrus were quoted to
justify it (cf. several references in Oscar Wilde's works, Mary Renault's
novel The Charioteer, etc.)
--
Don Phillipson
Carlsbad Springs
(Ottawa, Canada)
.
- References:
- platonic date
- From: eager
- Re: platonic date
- From: tony cooper
- platonic date
- Prev by Date: Re: Birmingham
- Next by Date: Re: Lunch vs Dinner.
- Previous by thread: Re: platonic date
- Next by thread: Re: platonic date
- Index(es):
Relevant Pages
|
