Ancient Rome in the English novel: a study in English historical fiction — A Reader’s Guide

Defining the Field and Its Early Milestones

Faries begins by establishing a definition of the field, then moves to the genesis of the novel of Roman life. He identifies the first true novel of Roman life and traces the influence of William Beckford's Vathek (1786) and the Byronic romance on the genre. The early development culminates in what he calls the "fully developed form" around 1834. This chronological framing allows Faries to show how the genre evolved from Gothic and romantic roots toward a more structured historical fiction.

The thesis then divides the principal lines of development from 1834 onward into categories based on the author's approach to scholarship. One line includes novels showing "the scholarship of great preachers," such as the Rev. William Ware, whose Julian (1841) is mentioned. Another line emphasizes thoroughness in scholarship, influenced by German scholars like Wilhelm Adolf Becker, author of Gallus (1838). Faries also notes the impact of German followers of Sir Walter Scott, who brought a more pedantic style to the English novel of Roman life.

The Pedantic and the Popular: Two Contrasting Strands

Faries identifies two pedantic novels that exemplify excessive scholarship, but he devotes more attention to the "popular" novelists who sought to balance accuracy with entertainment. He argues that after 1843, all true novels of Roman life made at least some pretense of thorough scholarship. Ellen Pickering's Julia of Baiae; or the Days of Nero (1843) is cited as an example of a popular novelist who recognized the need for historical accuracy, even if her own scholarship was limited. Pickering published anonymously and admitted her shortcomings in the preface, yet her novel includes historically questionable details like the death of Burrus and the appearance of Vespasian in the Praetorian guards.

Faries categorizes Pickering's work as an "attempt at a popular novel with a rather feeble essay at classical scholarship," distinguishing it from religious instruction despite its story of martyrs. This section illustrates how the thesis uses specific novels to trace the shifting expectations of the genre.

Wilkie Collins and the Gothic Resurgence

A significant portion of the excerpt focuses on Wilkie Collins's Antonina (1850), which Faries presents as a curious case of a talented novelist catering to popular taste. Collins, associated with the school of Charles Dickens, develops the melodramatic side of Dickens while omitting his humor. Faries notes that Antonina reverts to the style of the Gothic romancers who preceded Scott, employing "bleak mountainsides, dark caverns and rushing torrents" to evoke terror.

The labyrinth motive is central: the chief character, a priest of Serapis, spends his life digging a secret passage through Rome's walls to let in pagan invaders and thwart the Christians. This motive also appears in descriptions of secret passages under the temple of Serapis. Another Gothic element is the ghastly banquet scene where guests and host resolve to die rather than leave their couches. Faries observes that while the story describes the siege and uses historical setting, its primary appeal lies in melodrama rather than historical accuracy.

The Development of the "Popular" Novel of Roman Life

Faries traces the "popular" novel of Roman life from 1843 onward, emphasizing that even novelists who wrote for a mass audience came to realize the necessity of sound scholarship. He defines "popular" novelists as those who either produced novels by the score or wrote made-to-order works, seeking "grist for the mill" rather than a masterpiece. These authors relied on melodramatic material, but their work gradually incorporated more historical detail.

The thesis distinguishes between two types of popular novelists: those whose principal desire was to tell a "rattling good story" or present "gorgeous pictures from the life of the past," and those with a more serious purpose. Faries notes that the "gorgeous romance," a direct development of the popular novel, reached its height later. This section demonstrates how the thesis categorizes novels not by quality alone but by the author's intent and the balance between scholarship and entertainment.

Faries's thesis offers a structured approach to a genre often dismissed as mere entertainment. By examining how novelists from Ellen Pickering to Wilkie Collins navigated the demands of historical accuracy and popular appeal, the study provides a framework for understanding the evolution of historical fiction. Readers interested in the intersection of scholarship and storytelling will find this work a useful guide to the novels it discusses, though the thesis itself is a critical analysis, not a narrative history.

Randolph Faries spent years sorting borrowed togas from genuine Roman wool, and I think of that delicacy whenever I return to the scholarly mischief in Something about Eve: A comedy of fig-leaves — Reading Companion. Both know how a costume can be honest, and how a fig leaf, well placed, tells more than it hides. I remember finishing the latter on a train, feeling oddly forgiven.