Gay icon a prototypical portrait of a tortured closet case." Due to Saint Sebastian's status as a gay icon, Tennessee Williams chose to use the saint's name for the martyred character Sebastian in his play, "Suddenly, Last Summer". The name was also used by Oscar Wilde—as Sebastian Melmoth—when in exile after his release from prison. Wilde, an Irish writer and poet, was about as "out of the closet" as was possible for the late 19th century, and is himself considered to be a gay icon. Marie Antoinette was an early lesbian icon. Rumors about her relationships with women circulated in pornographic detail
Melmoth the Wanderer Raleigh, in his book "The English Novel" (1905) stated "in "Frankenstein" and "Melmoth the Wanderer", the Romantic orgy reached its height". The novel was described by H. P. Lovecraft as "an enormous stride in the evolution of the horror-tale", and Maurice Richardson also wrote an essay for "Lilliput" magazine praising "Melmoth". "Melmoth the Wanderer" was cited by Karl Edward Wagner as one of the 13 best supernatural horror novels. Thomas M. Disch placed "Melmoth the Wanderer" at number four in his list of classic fantasy stories. Devendra P. Varma described "Melmoth the Wanderer" as "the crowning achievement of the Gothic