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The Last Days Of Pompeii

The Last Days of Pompeii is a novel written by Edward Bulwer-Lytton in 1834. First widely read, the novel is now relatively forgotten. It culminates with a description of the eruption of Vesuvius and the destruction of the city of Pompeii in 79 AD. AD

The novel describes his characters through the contrast between, on one hand, a culture of the Roman ^first century decadent, on the other hand, ancient cultures and new trends. The protagonist, Glaucus, represents the Greeks , who were subjected by Rome , and his nemesis Arbaces even older culture of Egypt. Olinthus is the chief representative of the Christian religion emerging, which is presented favorably, but not without a critical eye. The Witch of Vesuvius, though it has no supernatural power, reveals the interest of Bulwer-Lytton for the occult - a theme that would appear in later works, especially The race that we exterminate.

The film 1935 of RKO , The Last Days of Pompeii , with Preston Foster and Basil Rathbone , is unfaithful to the novel, although he inspired the scenes of the eruption of Vesuvius. The film does not include either its plot or its characters. Two Italian adaptations of the novel have also been carried out - one in 1913 , another in 1959. Finally, the novel was adapted into English in the form of a mini-series aired on ABC in 1984, including Sir Laurence Olivier , Duncan Regehr , Nicholas Clay , Olivia Hussey , Linda Purl , Franco Nero , Lesley-Anne Down , Ernest Borgnine , Ned Beatty and Siobhan McKenna.