Greco-Roman Antiquity in The Library for Reading journal of 1834-1840

Abstract

The article attempts to identify the characteristics of classical antiquity representation in The Library for Reading journal in the 1830s, when it was the most popular Russian periodical, with its editor Josef Senkovsky being one of the famous writers and eminent scholars. The study draws on 8 literary publications and 24 research papers related to Greco-Roman antiquity. The analysis of literary works accepted for publication by Senkovsky shows that they were to lead the reader to reflect on three subjects: the features of intellectual pastime in classical antiquity and modernity; the transient nature of power of both an ambitious individual and the great empire; and the similarities, differences, and accomplishments of antiquity and modern times. The works of belles-lettres reflected the ambiguous perception of classical antiquity in the 1830s: on the one hand, viewing its heritage as a “golden standard”, and on the other – picturing it as a bygone and distant epoch through the motifs of catastrophe and decrepitude. The analyzed research publications on antiquity are distinguished by a striking variety of topics and the editor’ desire to make the papers clear and fascinating for readers by presenting classical antiquity not as a boring collection of dead forms, but as full of life and struggle. Moreover, the research articles shaped the image of the classical studies as a dynamic and developing scholarly discipline filled with discoveries, acute disputes, and unsolved riddles. All scholarly publications on Greco-Roman antiquity wrapped thoughtful and profound reflections targeting the highly educated reading elite in a popular narrative addressed to the general audience. The key questions they raised were the significance of classical texts as reliable sources for studying ancient history and understanding ancient Greek and Roman worldviews, as well as the relationships between antiquity and the Ancient East or antiquity and modernity.