The Modern Library 100 Best Novels Challenge discussion

I, Claudius

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Has anyone read this yet? I tried to, but couldn't get into it. Not sure if it was the time period or story that was the problem.

I just finished, and was more than pleasantly surprised. I enjoy historical novels, or historical fiction, i.e. Tale of Two Cities, War and Peace, etc., and have had a curiosity about Roman history. I was a little wary of this, thinking it would be like Herodotus' greek Histories.

I think Graves did a fabulous job of taking imaginative liberties with the historical truths, embellishing to help make it more understandable. To what extent he did that I don't know and really don't care.

I thought it was very readable, entertaining and fascinating. There was so much villanous and wretched behavior among the Emperors and their cronies and family. Talk about disfunctional. So much so that the political intrigues and tragedies were almost comical.

It really helped me, to follow the confounding familial relationships, to make a genealogy chart, that I updated every time a new character was introduced. I referred to this chart constantly.

It sounds like I need to try it again. I like your idea of the genealogy chart to refer to.

You can also watch the series done by BBC of I Claudius if one so desires.

I also required the use of a geneology chart at the beginnning to keep everybody straight. And I also enjoyed the contrast of the previous reading, Death Comes to the Archbishop. One a tale of self-sacrifice, virtue and humility vs Claudius, a story of arrogance, immorality and lust for power. Hard to imagine that you are reading a historical novel and not watching the Godfather!

Dave wrote: "I also required the use of a geneology chart at the beginnning to keep everybody straight. And I also enjoyed the contrast of the previous reading, Death Comes to the Archbishop. One a tale of sel..."

but that debauchery is rather fun don't you think

Very intriguing, though the callousness of that scheming struck me as quite tragic. Many parallels to the modern world of governance.

It is about Politics and may be (not researched) more about the time it was written in, than the time it was depicting.