Dido and Aeneas In a poem of about 1686, Tate alluded to James II as Aeneas, who is misled by the evil machinations of the Sorceress and her witches (representing Roman Catholicism, a common metaphor at the time) into abandoning Dido, who symbolises the British people. The same symbolism may apply to the opera. This explains the addition of the characters of the Sorceress and the witches, which do not appear in the original "Aeneid". It would be noble, or at least acceptable, for Aeneas to follow the decree of the Gods, but not so acceptable for him to be tricked by ill-meaning
The Man Who Fell in Love with the Moon best American writing in 1993. By 2001, the novel had reached "cult" status. One journalist called the work "an acknowledged minor classic". The book made two "best of" lists since it was published. In 1999, the "Boston Phoenix" announced it was the 88th best LGBTQ novel of the 20th century. An organizer for the United Kingdom's Big Gay Read, a follow-up to The Big Read, noted that "The Man Who Fell in Love with the Moon" was the one book that should be added to the first-cut list. "The Man Who Fell in Love with the Moon" was a finalist