Whither Quo Vadis?: Sienkiewiczs Novel in Film and Television

Henryk Sienkiewicz′s Quo Vadis? , a novel about the encounter between Christianity and the Roman world in the time of Nero, helped him win the Nobel prize in 1905, was an international bestseller, and is still in print in many languages. This book explores five surviving film adaptations which offer an exceptionally clear view of how ancient Rome is characterized on the big screen. It examines how the different films interpret, select from, and modify the novel and its ancient sources, and how contemporary social and political issues, as well as the particular artistic and commercial goals of each production, have influenced each adaptation. Each presents a different story and a different Rome.

List of Illustrations. Acknowledgments. 1 Novel and Film. 2 Adapting the Narrative. 3 Gender and Ethnicity. 4 Political Institutions, Political Subtexts. 5 The Roman People. 6 Religion and Religious Authority in Quo Vadis?. 7 Conclusions. 8 Exkursus: Chilo’s Mother: A Peculiarity of the German Translations of Quo Vadis?. Description of the Films. Synopsis of the Novel and the Film Versions of Quo Vadis. References. Index of Ancient Sources. Index of Personal Names. Index of Things and Places

Ruth Scodel is D. R. Shackleton Bailey Collegiate Professor of Greek and Latin at the University of Michigan. She is the author of Listening to Homer (2002) and Epic Facework: Self–Presentation and Social Interaction in Homer (2008). Anja Bettenworth is Assistant Professor of Latin at the University of Münster. She is the author of Gastmahlszenen in der antiken Epik von Homer bis Claudian. Diachrone Untersuchungen zur Szenentypik (2004).

"Recommended [to] all readers." ( CHOICE , March 2010) “There is much to admire in this book. It has a clear focus and a good set of questions. It knows its way round the five films and around the classical sources, and is prepared to look at broader issues in relation to the close reading of the films.” ( Bryn Mawr Classical Review , March 2009)