Classics and the Western Canon discussion

I didn't expect much of it once I first started the book, but I've been quite surprised thus far. Being younger than 35, my primary knowledge of Vidal is of a post-2001 isolationist crank. This is really my first experience with the version of Vidal that deserved every bit of his acclaim. I appreciate the chronological memoir style and the general accuracy of the author's treatment of the Roman emperor. I'm too used to contemporary authors twisting facts in order to shoehorn cheap excitement into a narrative.

The protagonist is also an inspired choice. The time period is, of course, much neglected in historical scholarship, as it falls in the lull between Constantine and the House of Valentinian.

I grew up going to Catholic school and my world history courses usually went something like this: "...and then Constantine saved the faltering Roman Empire, converted everyone to Christianity, and Western civilization lived happily ever after." In actuality, the Western half of the Roman Empire was gone within 140 years of his death. In reading Julian, you can already see the cracks in the foundation within a decade of the death of Constantine. The pagan soldiers and Christian aristocracy were split; Christians were split themselves between Trinitarians and Arians. Philosophers and Sophists became nothing more than walking infomercials for their rhetorical courses. The social glue was becoming undone by religious and social innovations, which I think a younger Vidal wanted to illustrate.

Where we once strived to be heroes like the tales of yore, we now settle into metaphysical arguments.

If the promised Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire project ever comes to fruition, I would definitely recommend this as an interim read.

Interesting, thanks. I actually just found this book in a box by the side of the road and decided to give it a home on my shelf. Sounds like it's worth checking out.

If you're into the podcasting thing, check out The History of Rome. The host (Mike Duncan) is great. He's very thorough and informative. He only gets to Constantine, I believe, but he traces the fault lines between the Eastern and Western Empires back to the mid 2nd century AD.