[Les Tuileries, 2011. Foto Rb]
Simon Scarrow, Gladiator: Fight for Freedom. Harlow (Essex, UK), Pearson,
2011. Edition including “Activities”, 2012.
Simon
Scarrow has published a number of novels based on classical antiquity, namely
Rome [1].
Among other texts, he is the author of a number of books in a series called Gladiator, aimed at an early adolescent readership,
and accompanied by a section called “Activities” where reading exercises of a
school type are included.
This
particular volume pivots around the figure of young Marcus. Adopted by a
centurion who fought Spartacus, he believes this man is his real father. When some
moneylenders kill the adoptive father, who has retired to the countryside, both
his mother and himself are taken prisoners and sold as slaves. After Marcus
succeeds in escaping, a ship owner discovers him when he hides as a stowaway,
and sells him to a gladiator trainer. In the gladiator school, Marcus shows virtues
of loyalty and good fighting skills. In a duel in an official show, he spares
the life of his vengeful rival and saves the life of Julius Caesar’s daughter
who had fallen into the circus where he was fighting some wolves. Thus, he
becomes her bodyguard and hoes to finally clear his name and save his mother.
Meanwhile he learns that he is not a centurion’s son but rather the son of
Spartacus, the leader of the slave rebellion his adoptive father had
contributed to put down, taking his mother as his wife.
The
adventurous nature of this story should indeed appeal to the age group it is
intended for. Some ethical aim pervades the novel by educating to virtues of
faithfulness, equanimity, courage and endurance that go against the late modern
crisis of traditional moral values. However, Marcus is depicted as a hero, more
similar to film versions of antiquity than to classical literature. This does
not mean that the historical details are inaccurate – on the contrary, Scarrow
makes precise reference to historical events and figures.
On
the whole, we have a typically late-modern best selling novel, partly derivative
from antiquity, and partly alluding to film themes and procedures. The
character of Spartacus has been often adopted in cinema and used as a symbol of
freedom from oppression. The commercializing strategy includes a trailer like a
film preview [2].
[Roberto Bertoni]
[1]
General information on both Simon and Alex Scarrow can be found at The Official Scarrow Brothers’ Website.
A Wikipedia page gives his biography and a list of the books published by
series. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simon_Scarrow
