#wintermorrow

[professor-winter]

"ʜᴇɴʀʏ? ᴀ ᴡᴏʀᴅ. ɴᴏᴡ."

[samoubica]

groomer groomer nae nae

[prmcafwh]

Not that anybody asked but I recently made a post about Henry which was mostly meant as a shitpost but an interesting discussion ensued so I'd like to expand on my point.

I genuinely believe Henry is straight. First of all the fact that he had a sexual relationship with Camilla is beyond dispute. ('If he isn't [sleeping with her], he's certainly done everything he possibly can to convince Charles that he is.' -Francis) There's still of course the possibility that he's bi, but no real evidence to support that.

About Henry and Julian's relationship, we know next to nothing about it. We know they shared a 'quick, businesslike kiss on the cheek', which, when Richard contemplates the possibility of Henry being gay, is described as 'very different' (i.e. it didn't seem sexual to him). Still, when was the last time you kissed a teacher you had a Totally Not Inappropriate relationship with? I think it's very likely that they did have a sexual relationship, if 'relationship' is the right word.

For those who don't know, Julian and Henry (and Bunny, but that's not important here) are both based on real people Donna Tartt knew in college. Julian's real life counterpart was a Classics professor at Bennington College who a) was gay and b) had a reputation for sleeping with his students. There's an article where several Bennington College (Donna Tartt and Bret Easton Ellis's alma mater) alumni get interviewed, including the people Henry and Bunny were based on. I highly recommend reading it if you're interested and want to know more about the place where TSH was conceived. Did you know they used to have a party called 'Fling into Spring'? But I digress.

Besides that, their relationship is hardly appropriate even if it wasn't sexual at all. Private lunches, private tutorials upon private tutorials, driving around buying fountain pens together, Henry was the only one Julian allowed to come into his house and he'd apparently been there several times, even before he showed up on his doorstep for inexplicable reasons in the middle of the night after he came back from Rome. It's a very small step from that to flat-out grooming, which was probably what was happening under the guise of 'the love that dare not speak its name' or some other romantic idea Julian used to justify it to himself and to Henry. Let's not forget this type of relationship wasn't uncommon in Ancient Greece. (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pederasty_in_ancient_Greece)

You may have noticed I started this post with 'Henry is straight' and it progressed into 'Henry was definitely sleeping with his male teacher'. This is because, though their relationship is very important to the book (and here I acknowledge there's plenty of room for debate) I don't think Henry was actually sexually attracted to Julian. He saw his teacher as a father figure and a mentor and Julian took advantage of that. I think it's pretty clear Henry has a bad relationship with his own father, and found someone he could trust and look up to and saw him as sort of a substitute, and would do anything for his approval. ('I loved him more than my own father.' I s s u e s.) As someone pointed out (paraphrasing): 'One can have a father figure and be sexually attracted to said father figure' which is fair, but still not evidence enough to prove that he actually was.

Even Richard, who sees gay men everywhere he looks, lived with him for months and said: 'Geiger counters dead'. (Which is a criminally underrated line btw. Also missed opportunity to say gay-ger counter.)

So I'm not excluding the possibility that Henry is bisexual, but I don't think it's fair to exclude the possibility that he's not, either. It all remains a subjective question of headcanons when you get down to it. I just wanted to add my two cents to the discussion.

[auburngods]

I loved him more than anyone in the world

No masters or kings when the ritual begins, there is no sweeter innocence than our gentle sin. In the madness and soil of that sad earthly scene, only then I am human, only then I am clean

[beforeitrains]

[professor-winter]

"... ᴀꜱ ʟᴏɴɢ ᴀꜱ ɪᴛ ᴡᴏɴ'ᴛ ʙᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ʟᴀꜱᴛ, ᴊᴜʟɪᴀɴ?"

P.D. As a continuation to this post...

[professor-winter]

IT'S SO THEM CODED

[professor-winter]

Wintermorrow, huh?

I want to study their dynamic under a microscope...

Oughhh, I'm in love with them. Julian is just so... ugh (I want him).

I feel like Richard was the most unreliable person ever and prob exaggerated and saw what wasnt there, so wintermorrow isn't a thing but! in my pretty delusional head it is ♡♡

The professor/student relationship is something I've always loved. There's always a bit of a superiority complex, specially with a character like Julian, who's narcissistic to the bone; and its amusing to me the thought of Henry putting his pride and distrust aside for his professor he admitted he "loved him more than anyone in the world."

It broke Henry when Julian left, and that desperation and raw emotion is something I've always craved in a relationship (we do love toxic here...)

There's also subtle moments like the "business-like kiss on the cheek" or holding hands that imply they have a deeper connection than most, which would be right. To what extent? We don't know (yes we do ;) I'd like to think it was mutual admiration, though perhaps Julian was manipulating Henry once again...

I think both characters are so incredibly complex that they surprisingly compliment each other so well. Henry's need for validation, in a way, and Julian's need for power (also if they're both hot, the ship is hot. I don't make the rules)