Guest Scanderbeg Posted March 4, 2005 Report Share Posted March 4, 2005 Anyone else floored by these books? I, Claudius was by far the best historical fiction book I have read. Graves really did his homework with it it was simply amazing. IMO, Claudius the God, coudl not match its predeccesor but was still incredible. I loved how they went through the administration. Though Graves made Claudius better than he actually was. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P.Clodius Posted March 4, 2005 Report Share Posted March 4, 2005 Yes, they're both awesome books. He based them both on the writings of Tacitus and Josephus. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Primus Pilus Posted March 4, 2005 Report Share Posted March 4, 2005 Mostly from Suetonius actually. Regardless, I loved I, Claudius. The sequel dropped off a little, but still an excellent novel. Hmm, I think its about time to re-read those. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P.Clodius Posted March 4, 2005 Report Share Posted March 4, 2005 Yes PP, you're right. Sorry for the bum steer folks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Scanderbeg Posted March 8, 2005 Report Share Posted March 8, 2005 It seems Graves had two big focuses on this book. 1. Femenism 2. Government It was rather ironic that in a world where women are so disenfranchized. Often given the label as their bad or good. Slut or moral. They seem to be the ones that hold all the power. He belittle's Augustus to a mere over grown child and later Claudius as a toy of Messalina. Nearly all the women, hold such control over the men. While I don't belive that it was true to such a high extent, I can't help but think that it was possible that some women, ambitious ones, did infact have come close to achieving this kind of power. While I doubt Livia was as influencial, cruel and genius as depicted. It does raise an eye borw that she was regarded by such high esteem in a world where women are seen as lesser. The main issue with the goverment seemed to be. Stability and control versus freedom. The Republic offered free speech, exchange of ideas that turned Rome into another Athens. However, as shown the Republic was faulty. It led to the start of a long Civil War(keep in mind when reading this book you should clear out your knowledge of the future of Rome) that was luckily ended before it could go any deeper(likely between Cassius and Brutus in the future). However the problem with the empire was, as shown, the problems that can arise when a man incapable of properly ruling ,or easily currupted, gets their hand into power. After reading the book I then began adding my knowledge of the future of the Empire. Could there have been a chance for Rome to do any better than it did with a revived republican government? Or were Romans doomed to fight between each other? What are your thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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