Why Has Contemporary Literature Undertaken a Neoclassical Revolution?
Contemporary literature has undergone a surprising change in the recent decade, with more and more Ancient Greek and Roman narratives cropping up as bestsellers. The retelling of ancient mythology has long been part of the literary tradition, especially within Shakespearean theatre. However, in the past ten years, the stories of the Classical Antiquity era are being read by the younger generation and being popularised across social media.
This article covers some of the most influential fiction writers for the recent surge in the neoclassical genre and understanding why they have become so popular with Generation Z.
Popular series: Stephen Fry and Madeline Miller
The Mythos series has become very popular in the last half a decade, the first instalment having been published in 2017. With the final instalment, Odyssey, being released this September the series has come to an end, having covered all three of the significant ages of the Ancient Greek mythological tradition. Fry himself identifies the ages as the: ‘Age of the Gods’, ‘Age of the Heroes’ and finally, ‘Age of Man’ which is the age discussed in both Troy and Odyssey. His books cover almost all of the well-known figures and myths of Ancient Greece, with frequent acknowledgements of the slight variations of myth in his page-by-page footnotes.
Fry’s witty style does not jeopardise the information of each story, as he never fails to stick to his structural integrity, constantly separating each myth by italicised subheadings and named parts to provide the reader with an experience that is crystal clear. Fry connects the stories by a thread of his design from the Fall of the Titans to the ascension of Dionysus to Olympia, not being deterred by the messy chronology of these ancient stories. The accessibility of his books is reason to believe in the popularity of his writing, with most readers returning to the rest of his books in the series after enjoying the ease of readability in Mythos.
Madeline Miller is another of the big names in this genre, with both The Song of Achilles and Circe under her authorship, she has taken BookTok by storm over the last decade. These two novels are far more character-focused than the work of Fry who takes on a much more objective role in his narration. Achilles, Patroclus and Circe all feel so human and subsequently dear to our hearts as we traverse the pages of her writing.
“He is half my soul, as the poets say”
– Madeline Miller, The Song of Achilles
Many readers were left in tears by her most famous book, The Song of Achilles due to the beauty of the character creation and the realism depicted in their voices. The strong LGBTQ+ representation in the relationship between Achilles and Patroclus also captured most of her readers, considering most historical interpretations depicted them as friends rather than lovers. This was the case in the movie portrayal of Troy (2004) starring Brad Pitt. However, it is not just the representation and characterisation in her books that make them so popular; her writing style borders on true poetry and she has the fantastic ability to bring to life stories that are rooted in the imagination.
Academic literature: SPQR by Mary Beard
On the other hand, academic writing about the ancient world is much less popular with BookTok and the younger generation. SPQR by Mary Beard is an example of a much more citable work which failed to reach the shores of TikTok, unlike the more accessible reads of Fry and Miller. Beard writes with history at the forefront of her book, using real sources and artefacts to inform the reader with a much greater conviction for fact than myth.
Within the modern literary community, there is a clear preference for ancient legends and myths over the real lives that inhabited Caesar’s Rome as explored in SPQR. Typically, readers require a world that they can put their imaginations to, as revealed by Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson series. With a much younger audience, Riordan utilises the vividity of youthful imaginations and provides them with stories that aren’t rooted but only influenced by myths to create an entirely new cast of characters. The success of this series has been unparalleled by the more modern ancient retellings with a TV series and movie series being released for his books.
“Hunting, bathing, gaming, laughing: that’s living (venari lavare ludere ridere occest vivere).”
-Mary Beard, SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome
By comparison, SPQR is a non-fiction work that expects a greater pre-existing intellect from its reader with a much older demographic intended for Beard’s style of writing. However, literary popularity in recent years has been more greatly influenced by Gen Z on social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok, which is most likely the reason why the popularity of Miller and Fry has skyrocketed compared to Beard.
The romanticisation of the Greek and Latin language
There is another element to the recent popularisation of mythology in contemporary fiction. The Greek and Latin languages are being romanticised by the adolescents of today, with Donna Tartt’s The Secret History being one of the more prominent examples of the aestheticization of Ancient Greece and Rome. Readers are turning to Tartt’s frequent use of Latin and Ancient Greek and quoting this in edits and Pinterest posts. This is evident in Tartt’s character, Francis Abernathy’s facetious line ‘cubitum eamus’, (meaning, ‘will you go to bed with me?’) which is one of the most reposted lines of the book.
The use of Latin and Greek has become an example of intellect in modern cultures, with Latin being considered a language learned by private school circles and students in its majority. With the rise in Latin and Greek literature, these languages have become something teenagers want to learn as opposed to modern foreign languages, like French and Spanish. The yearning to be deemed an intellectual has been greatly influenced by the aestheticization of ‘dark academia’ which has also influenced the popularisation of mythology with the ancient languages being in conversation with their mythology.
Ultimately, there could be an elitist undertone to the popularisation of the neoclassical tradition in modern fiction and creative writing. This is being hidden by the accessibility of social media where the books are being shared amongst young readers.
