Publication at Faculty of Education |
2019
Abstract
THE CONTEMPORARY POLITICAL CONTEXT OF _GALLUS_, AN 1838 HISTORICAL NOVEL BY W. A.
BECKER Wilhelm Adolf Becker, a classical archaeologist from Leipzig, Saxony, published a historical novel for young adults in 1838 set in Ancient Rome. The present study examines why the first emperor was portrayed as a tyrant despite his traditional 'peacemaker' image in textbooks.
The reasons include the contemporary liberal attitudes of the kings of Saxony that followed the 1814 Battle of Leipzig with Napoleon, who was perceived as a tyrant and likely to be compared to Augustus in the first place.