by Aldus Marius on Mon Jun 21, 2004 10:05 pm
Salvete lectores...
I have the book, in a few editions, but have never gotten all the way through it cover-to-cover. Reason: Even a skim or a scan reveals its nature: It is less about Rome (or Pompeii) than about Christianity. You have your assortment of characters, the lecherous gladiator trainer (I think it was...it's been a long time), the sweet, innocent slave girl who is secretly a Christian, the soldier (or gladiator, or other fighter-type) who falls in love with her, also secretly. (If I am wrong on the details, I have surely captured the essence!) Of course she converts him; of course they are among the few who escape, thanks to their Virtue. Yawn.
This tale was written around the same time as Gibbon's Decline and Fall, and suffers from the same Victorian sensibilities. I can enjoy it insofar as it is Roman and the characters are well-drawn and they bounce off each other in sensible ways; but when it gets preachy, and in the 'of-courseness' of the religious angle, it is patently offensive, to me at least. But then, it has lots of company; Ben-Hur, Quo Vadis, Spartacus and others share the same vice. I don't think anything in creative fiction should be preordained. That's why I no longer read Christian fiction, or go to the movies.
Last Days of Pompeii and similar morality tales may be savored in small sips. If you share their worldview, go ahead and chug-a-lug. They are classics for a reason; they are good stories, not without merit. But if you're looking to be immersed in the ambiance of a Roman street, you'll do better to pick up a Steven Saylor or Lindsey Davis mystery. Now those are Romans!!
In fide,
Aldus Marius Peregrinus.