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Anyone read 'Quo Vadis' of Henryk Sienkiewicz (He won the Nobel in literature 1905)? I have read a lot of novels in my life till now, but Nero's carnage against

Anyone read 'Quo Vadis' of Henryk Sienkiewicz (He won the Nobel in literature 1905)? I have read a lot of novels in my life till now, but Nero's carnage against Christians depicted in it remains one of the most gruesome things I have read about.

tbonesteaks 5y ago
Yes, and the depiction of the fire of Rome is truly suffocating and terrifying. And the development of the protagonist’s conversion is very convincing. And also, more on topic, Nero is so dynamic. Seems like such a modern villain with so many believably awful traits.
menzoic 5y ago
The article suggests the stories could have been propaganda.
- rsj_hn 5y ago
  Of course, but you can say this about any historical figure before the age of mass media. That's not a particularly insightful or novel criticism. What do we really know about Pericles, Alexander the Great, Tiberius? We have a handful of biographies that have been passed down, and you can accuse any of them of being propaganda.
  - indigochill 5y ago
    > you can say this about any historical figure before the age of mass media And after mass media! Just because we have an easier time disseminating information doesn't mean most of it isn't created with the intent to persuade the audience to believe things the author wants them to believe about the subject.
    - rsj_hn 5y ago
      Yes, you have to sift through it, but the point is you get more than one or two primary texts, and so with a variety of witnesses you can make a stronger case. In the ancient world, it's not uncommon to have only a single text from a specific point of view and so there are always charges of propaganda to deal with.
boomboomsubban 5y ago
Though I'm aware the author researched the Roman Empire, I wouldn't consider a 19th century fictional account a worthwhile source on the period.
- billfruit 5y ago
  Isn't Gibbon and Mommsen considered good enough sources on the Roman Empire still? Sienkiewicz is one of the most lauded Historical Novelists as well.
  - boomboomsubban 5y ago
    Define "good enough sources." Both wrote their histories in a way that pushed their worldview, it's incredibly difficult not to. Similarly, Sienkiewicz was writing a largely pro-Christian novel, an accurate analysis of Nero was never their aim.

tbonesteaks 5y ago

Yes, and the depiction of the fire of Rome is truly suffocating and terrifying. And the development of the protagonist’s conversion is very convincing. And also, more on topic, Nero is so dynamic. Seems like such a modern villain with so many believably awful traits.

menzoic 5y ago

The article suggests the stories could have been propaganda.

rsj_hn 5y ago
Of course, but you can say this about any historical figure before the age of mass media. That's not a particularly insightful or novel criticism. What do we really know about Pericles, Alexander the Great, Tiberius? We have a handful of biographies that have been passed down, and you can accuse any of them of being propaganda.
- indigochill 5y ago
  > you can say this about any historical figure before the age of mass media And after mass media! Just because we have an easier time disseminating information doesn't mean most of it isn't created with the intent to persuade the audience to believe things the author wants them to believe about the subject.
  - rsj_hn 5y ago
    Yes, you have to sift through it, but the point is you get more than one or two primary texts, and so with a variety of witnesses you can make a stronger case. In the ancient world, it's not uncommon to have only a single text from a specific point of view and so there are always charges of propaganda to deal with.

boomboomsubban 5y ago

Though I'm aware the author researched the Roman Empire, I wouldn't consider a 19th century fictional account a worthwhile source on the period.

billfruit 5y ago
Isn't Gibbon and Mommsen considered good enough sources on the Roman Empire still? Sienkiewicz is one of the most lauded Historical Novelists as well.
- boomboomsubban 5y ago
  Define "good enough sources." Both wrote their histories in a way that pushed their worldview, it's incredibly difficult not to. Similarly, Sienkiewicz was writing a largely pro-Christian novel, an accurate analysis of Nero was never their aim.