author
Randolph Faries
b. 1890
A literary scholar with a classicist’s eye, this early 20th-century writer is best known for studying how English historical novels imagined ancient Rome. His surviving work offers a focused, thoughtful look at the meeting point of classical history and fiction.
1 Audiobook
Ancient Rome in the English novel: a study in English historical fiction
by Randolph Faries
About the author
Randolph Faries, 2d was an American scholar born in 1890. He is known for Ancient Rome in the English Novel: A Study in English Historical Fiction, a dissertation completed at the University of Pennsylvania in 1923.
That study explores how English-language novelists wrote about ancient Rome, tracing the genre’s development and asking what makes historical fiction feel both vivid and believable. The work shows a strong interest in classical subjects, literary history, and careful reading rather than popular storytelling.
Little biographical information appears to be widely available online beyond his authorship and academic work. Even so, his book remains a useful window into early 20th-century scholarship on historical fiction and the long fascination that Rome has held for English-language writers.