The Modern Cultural Myth of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

Palgrave Studies in the History of the Media

by Jonathan Theodore

This book investigates the ‘decline and fall’ of Rome as perceived and imagined in aspects of British and American culture and thought from the late nineteenth through the early twenty-first centuries. It explores the ways in which writers, filmmakers and the media have conceptualized this process and the parallels they have drawn, deliberately or unconsciously, to their contemporary world. Jonathan Theodore argues that the decline and fall of Rome is no straightforward historical fact, but a ‘myth’ in terms coined by Claude Lévi-Strauss, meaning not a ‘falsehood’ but a complex social and ideological construct. Instead, it represents the fears of European and American thinkers as they confront the perceived instability and pitfalls of the civilization to which they belonged. The material gathered in this book illustrates the value of this idea as a spatiotemporal concept , rather than a historical event – a narrative with its own unique moral purpose.

Genres: History

238 pages, Paperback

Published December 6, 2018

Reviews

[Irene · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good resource on understanding historiography, i.e., the study of historical writing, and how social/political/spiritual/religious/moral opinions tend to color the commentary of Roman decline/fall, thus giving birth to the myths of why Rome declined/fell (e.g., someone who wants to comment on contemporary concerns, provides a warning as to how "Y" is causing us to spiral into decline just like it did for Rome).

Theodore sets out to debunk some of these myths, showing how the physical evidence contradicts such beliefs, and arguing for a greater emphasis on archeological evidence rather than solely relying on the writings (and thus possibly unsubstantiated assumptions) of various thinkers throughout the ages.

It became a bit repetitive towards the latter 20-30% of the book, but a solid read.

[Russia Blackmore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent