The Last Days of Pompeii (1834 Lytton), novel

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The Last Days of Pompeii (1834) is a novel by Edward Bulwer Lytton.

Abstract

Hugely popular novel used its characters to contrast, not uncritically, the decadent culture of first-century Rome with both older cultures (Greece and Egypt) and coming trends (Christianity). The novel was inspired by the success of the opera, L’ultimo giorno di Pompei (1825) by Italian composer Giovanni Pacini, and of the painting The Last Day of Pompeii (1833) by Russian painter Karl Briullov, which Bulwer-Lytton had seen in Milan. Although these works had made no reference to Christianity, they suggested that the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 CE could also provide a climactic and providential setting to a “Christian” story.

"Edward Bulwer-Lytton was a prominent English writer and politician in the 19th century. Bulwer-Lytton is notable for being one of the first authors to earn a considerable fortune from just his books. Bulwer-Lytton also was responsible for famous sayings such as "pursuit of the almighty dollar" and "the pen is mightier than the sword". Some of his most famous works include The Last Days of Pompeii, The Coming Race, and Zanoni. The Last Days of Pompeii, published in 1834, is a historical novel that was inspired by Karil Briullov's famous painting with the same title. The book follows the lives of Glaucus and Ione, two Greeks who are set to marry one another. Will they escape Pompeii before it is destroyed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius?"--Publisher description.