I think there's less expectation that there will be an age gap - Gilbert's only a little bit older than Easton, although possibly the fact that Gilbert started out with a higher army ranking makes up for this fact? However, by the end of the war, Easton is higher-ranked, and this is a point of soreness between them (partly because it came about as a result of shenanigans on the part of an officer who disliked Gilbert, but you do wonder if the role reversal just plain grates).
But yeah, I do wonder if the 19th century guys reading Plato and going "Ooooooh" were actually projecting onto Plato lots of stuff from intimate friendships in their own time. "Exactly like this, except it's ancient Greece so it's kind of okay if they have sex! Except Plato says sex is degrading, but nvm, KIND OF OKAY." And then later, when intimate friendships were no longer a recognized form of relationship/life stage, guys reading Plato for relationship inspiration just took it as read that it could only have ever have been like this long ago and far away in ancient Greece, OBVIOUSLY not in their own cultural context EVER. And by ever I mean fifty years previously.
no subject
But yeah, I do wonder if the 19th century guys reading Plato and going "Ooooooh" were actually projecting onto Plato lots of stuff from intimate friendships in their own time. "Exactly like this, except it's ancient Greece so it's kind of okay if they have sex! Except Plato says sex is degrading, but nvm, KIND OF OKAY." And then later, when intimate friendships were no longer a recognized form of relationship/life stage, guys reading Plato for relationship inspiration just took it as read that it could only have ever have been like this long ago and far away in ancient Greece, OBVIOUSLY not in their own cultural context EVER. And by ever I mean fifty years previously.
I have zero proof of this, I'm just spitballing.