by Conan Doyle · Cluster: Historical Novel · War and its Cost · Honour and Chivalry
Abstract
A companion historical collection opening with the title story, in which the Roman viceroy of Britain must withdraw every legion, dooming his British petitioners to the chaos of invasion; it then regathers ‘The Last Galley’ and other Doyle historical tales under a new arrangement. The stories together meditate on empires that rise, overreach, and inevitably fall.
Connections
Forms & Genres: Short Story, Historical Novel Themes & Concepts: Empire and Imperialism, War and its Cost, Nationalism and Patriotism, Fate and Free Will, Freedom and Liberty, History Motifs: Ship, Sea, Fire, Blood, Time, Sea and Voyage Historical References: Roman History, Ancient Rome, British Empire Settings: Ancient Rome Archetypes: Hero, Tyrant, Outsider, Martyr Saint Topoi: Sic Transit Gloria Mundi, Fortune’s Wheel