Fictional Characters

[Kegluneq]

I'm sorry to admit that the only 'literary' book series set in the ancient world that I've read is Robert Graves' I, Claudius and Claudius the God. The rest have generally been what I'd refer to (unfairly) as supermarket thrillers - i.e. Simon Scarrow, Ben Kane, Harry Sidebottom - who tend to write in a particular 'alpha warrior' style. I think Harry Sidebottom's Warrior of Rome is my favourite of those, due to the time period discussed and his enthusiasm for exploring social and political issues in the backgrounds of his narratives.

I also like R.S. Downie's Medicus series, which at least has a civilian central character (after the first or second book certainly). They're not especially scholarly but unusually they are quite funny.

Do you prefer to read about characters based on real people (Caesar, for example, or Hannibal)? Or do you prefer an author to create a new character to fit the story?

Do you prefer to read about very realistic and believable characters, who think and act in the way that people of the times would have done and have no special or remarkable abilities, or do you prefer heroes with more 'heroic' qualities?

I think a lot of writers conflate the two - ancient Roman legionaries are described as behaving like the special forces heroes of Andy McNab or Chris Ryan novels, and sometimes use recogniseably modern techniques. It's sort-of believable, as it is more relatable, but I'd like to see ancient protagonists acting in particularly pre-modern ways more often. Of course, the problem then is that we don't really know how they'd have thought and acted at the everyday level, so it's inevitably going to be a shot in the dark.

And what about the presentation of women in these novels? There's been a fashion lately for feisty female characters, who are apt to reveal an unexpected skill in swordfighting, for example... Is this a good thing in a novel, or do you prefer female characters who more closely reflect the realities of women's lives in ancient times?

Bit of a can of worms there - it is plausible that women who grew up around soldiers might have used a weapon at some point but gender roles in the Roman world seem to be a lot more prescribed. Done badly, it can just be an excuse to make a women seem like 'one of the guys' - and earn respect by doing manly things, because only they matter. It seems to be the films that are more guilty of this, probably because fight scenes are a lot easier to sell to an 18-35 audience than domestic ones. I do like the representation of women in the Medicus and Warrior of Rome series though - although secondary characters in both cases, the wives of the protagonists are distinctive and interesting.

Lastly, does anyone have a particular favourite character from ancient-world fiction?

I have a soft spot for the long suffering Gaius Petreius Ruso, the titular Medicus. I don't think the series as a whole is the best written, but I did enjoy the proto-detective storylines.