The hot young author debate, circa 1882
Cultural theorists often portray the modern preoccupation with authors’ appearances as symptomatic of our uniquely shallow, soulless society. Shallow it could be, but new? Probably not. Consider the collection, in the current Harper’s, of journalists’ reports on the flamboyant clothes Oscar Wilde wore in 1882 while traveling the U.S. and Canada for a speaking tour. Here’s a sampling: · A . . .