Herodotus’ ›Histories‹ and the British Imagination

During the nineteenth century, interest in Herodotean material rose dramatically across British society. Rapid advances in technology and education meant almost every part of Britain could now engage with content from the Histories. This became particularly apparent in the literary and artistic receptions which grew exponentially until the middle of the century. The present volume examines how these receptions of Herodotus within literature and art, often intended to reach large and diverse audiences, correspond to more immediate receptions in daily newspapers. The material analysed will consist of evidence for the sale of Herodotean material, the geographical distribution of which will be shown through digital analysis and mapping, and the presence of Herodotean material in literary and artistic works. It will consider how these different types of media interacted with one another, and how the saturation of Herodotean material in daily media helped audiences to understand that same content when translated into literary and artistic mediums. It will conclude by assessing the impact of these receptions on one another, and the implications this has for the understanding of Herodotean receptions in the nineteenth century and beyond. 

Jordan Bayley, Newcastle University, Newcastle Upon Tyne, United Kingdom.