To let my 12yo DS read romantic poetry?

[Albatross454]

Hello mumsnetties. My DS is twelve years old and very mature for his age. He has aspergers and is quite gifted in his reading, eg read lord of the flies at about nine years old and is reading my copy of picture of Dorian Gray. He sometimes reads my copy of Shelley poetry and loves it. We both love poetry and at the moment he's reading Emily Dickinson, Christina rossetti and oscar Wilde. I'm just wondering if it's appropriate to let him read the Romantic Poets? I'm worried that he may get influenced by some of them, eg Coleridge was an opium addict and Byron had Affairs, Shelley preached radical politics and keats had anger problems, Blake hallucinate angels and wordsworth was arrogant! I have no problem with him reading the material (Though I'd be a bit concerned with Don juan) but he likes to research authors and I'm afraid that he may get influenced by them. AIBU????

I think this might be my favourite MN post of all time. You've cheered me right up.

is this a joke of a thread?

There was a 'What's the most bonkers thread you've ever seen on MB' recently.

I'd like to call a recount.

I was reading Agatha Christie. Haven’t murdered any one...... yet

Someone pass the smelling salts, he'll be keeping a bear in his room at this rate!

Just wait until he discovers the Earl of Rochester...

Yes I think if you let him read romantic poetry he will definitely become a opium using, womanising drain on society. Stop him at once before it’s too late!

You can scoff but with the aspergers it is more likely he is going to turn himself into a mini byron requesting frilly shirts and pretentiously quoting to all and sundry.

(thinks of "Blackadder" ...)

or swim the Hellespont ?

He may even want a pet bear

My Aspie frilly shirt wearing young Lord Byron (minus the shagging and drug taking) was reading Shakespeare in primary school. Still unlikely to pass his English Literature GCSE.

@SavingSpaces2019 People with asd like my ds (we don't diagnose aspergers anymore but that's what he would be if we did) can get overly obsessed with one thing and i could easily see a preteen with asd going all fan boy over something like the romantic poets and wanting to dress like them and quoting poetry, hell there was a whole subculture in the 80's that did just that. It doesn't mean they are stupid.

nousernameforme

Can think of worse things: I’m a mid 60s child and lived through the New Romantics. They looked a bit daft but didn’t hurt anyone 😁

Let him.

Baby Goths are the cutest.

At 12 I was reading Flowers in the Attic and I have never considered locking my kids up or having an incestuous relationship.

I think you need to stock up on opium and lake cottages now. I also suggest a visit to a country with a flowering revolution followed by a homage to the horrors of industrialization ( Leeds should suffice). Of this all fails, lock him on a house with fellow addicts to write a ghost story. Best of luck op.

That Kubla Khan is dangerous stuff