[Authors and titles are listed at the end of the review]
No sabía ya qué había ocurrido antes, ni qué personaje era quien, ni a cuál historia pertenecía.
Mario Vargas Llosa, La tía Julia y el escribidor (1977).
I began reading the splendid volume edited by Alberto Quiroga and Leire Olabarría around the same time as one of my favorite writers, Mario Vargas Llosa, passed away. Perhaps for that reason, Quiroga and Olabarría’s book—with its constant evocations of pasts that never were, intricate historical fictions, and characters who evade their destinies, being reborn or meeting their ends in ways different from what we know—brought to mind that delightful novel La tía Julia y el escribidor and the colossal, if diminutive, figure of Pedro Camacho, the tireless storyteller who eventually loses his mind. Readers who have had the immense pleasure of Vargas Llosa’s book will recall how Camacho’s radio serials grew ever more complex, intertwining and transforming as they unfolded, in a manner that could well serve as the central theme of a study very much in the spirit of the ones offered by Quiroga and Olabarría.
Indeed, The Ancient World in Alternative History and Counterfactual Fictions is a highly innovative work that offers stimulating reflections on the possibilities that the “what if” questions and counterfactual narratives can contribute to historical studies in general, and to the ancient world in particular. The book examines the ways in which antiquity has been employed within such speculative narratives across genres such as historical fiction, fantasy literature, and science fiction. Several chapters—especially those by Will Tattersdill, Ryan C. Fowler, and Anastasia Bakogianni—also emphasize one of the chief values that this type of narrative can bring, namely its pedagogical and didactic potential. Imaginative, and often sharply incisive, counterfactuals can undoubtedly prove both engaging and formative for students.
Another objective of the volume as a whole is to reflect on the usefulness of counterfactual speculation for better understanding how the ancient world is conceived today, and, in consequence, for questioning, critiquing, and refining the values, principles, and aims of our discipline, and, by extension, of our society. In this sense, it is worth stressing that the freshness of approach to historical study advocated by the contributors is especially welcome, since history as a discipline should ultimately serve the construction of a better, more critically minded world. Recent events such as the invasion of Ukraine and the ongoing genocidal violence perpetrated by Israel in Palestine compellingly demonstrate that history has by no means come to an end, contrary to what Fukuyama once posited in a now seemingly distant past. These events also reaffirm that the study of history—as a discipline that not only preserves memory, but also enables critical engagement with the past and the denouncement of present-day injustice—should be more vital than ever. The collection of essays in this volume demonstrates that, indeed, the study of counterfactuals allows us to engage with history in a richer, more complex way—one that is not confined to the neat presentation of past events “as they really happened.”
Among the book’s most remarkable strengths is its collective coherence: all the chapters are both well-crafted and meaningful. Contrary to what is unfortunately frequent in edited collections, here we encounter a volume in which—thanks, one must suppose, to the editors’ careful work—a sensible and disciplined group of contributors have provided thoughtful answers to diverse questions about alternative histories and counterfactual fictions.
Although the volume offers insights of value for historians and scholars of antiquity in general, it will be of particular interest to those working in reception studies, the field in which it most clearly belongs. Within this area, the book can only be described as innovative, even pioneering, since there are no previous collective reflections on counterfactuals and the ancient world. As is well known, reception studies are today in excellent health. [1] Over the past two decades, alongside a notable increase in publications, the field has undergone a welcome broadening of themes. This expansion has been closely tied to a growing interest in popular culture, in contrast with the earlier focus on what might be called “high culture.” Such new interests have led to the study of other artistic genres such as science fiction and fantasy, as well as popular music and heavy metal, among others. [2] It is precisely within this line of development that the present volume is best situated, for it addresses a body of works and artists that had received very little, if any, prior attention. In this respect, the book represents a genuine turning of the screw, convincingly proposing the inclusion of a type of narrative that had long been ignored, and often disparaged as unsuitable for serious historical scholarship.[3]
The book consists of ten chapters devoted to specific case studies. These are preceded by a foreword (Tattersdill) and an introduction by the editors (Quiroga and Olabarría). The foreword exceeds the usual bounds of such pieces, offering thoughtful reflections on the utility of what “didn’t happen,” while also providing a survey of the most relevant scholarship on the subject. The introduction develops the same themes and will prove useful to readers. In it, the editors outline the book’s main objectives, define and delimit counterfactuals—uchronias, parahistories—and debate the potential that counterfactual analysis brings to the study of antiquity, as well as the particular gap it fills in the field of ancient history and reception studies. As is customary, the introduction also presents the structure of the book and summarizes the main arguments and themes of each chapter. The volume concludes with references—helpfully divided into ancient sources, works of fiction, and secondary sources—together with practical indices that enhance the book’s usability.
The ten chapters are organized into three thematic sections. The first, “Fortuna Imperatrix Mundi: History between Chance and Determinism”, is primarily concerned with the literary mechanisms that can be employed to construct counterfactual narratives and uchronias. It includes four chapters analyzing, as case studies and with notable success, Poul Anderson’s Delenda Est (Genevieve Liveley), John Christopher’s Fireball (Fowler), Robert Silverberg’s Roma Eterna (Sarah Annes Brown), and L. Sprague de Camp’s Aristotle and the Gun (F. J. Campos-Daroca). This section as a whole contributes to the book’s high intellectual standard, since it engages with several of its central ideas. Particularly noteworthy is Liveley’s analysis of the rules and principles governing counterfactual narrative, which lends theoretical solidity to the subsequent reflections and situates ancient-world counterfactuals within a broader context. This section also underscores the pedagogical potential of counterfactuals and provides an especially interesting reflection on the (possible) inevitability of history (Fowler), specifically within the realm of the history of ideas and religions.
The second section, “Narratives of Power in Uchronias: between ‘Big Men’ and Underrepresented Voices”, focuses on the ways counterfactuals can offer insights into the political and cultural circumstances of past and present, particularly through the role of individuals in shaping history. The section contains three chapters. In the first, Bakogianni, through the analysis of two literary works, reflects on how “great men” have traditionally been cast as protagonists in history, in a process marked by gender bias, while offering well-informed critical reflections on possible alternate histories. In the second, Quiroga and Elia Otranto analyze the figure of the emperor Julian and the implications derived from his treatment in historical novels and, above all, in the uchronian fiction of Mario Farneti. The third chapter, by Lynn S. Fotheringham, is more speculative in nature. It pauses to reflect on the definition of the genre of alternative history, using as a case study T. S. Chaudhry’s The Queen of Sparta.
The final section, “Art, Culture and the Poetics of Counterfactuals”, turns to the ways in which artistic works serve as crucial tools for constructing alternative and counterfactual worlds. Such generative processes may seek to anchor themselves firmly in the “real” past, or, on the contrary, may aim to produce estrangement. Similarly, analyzing how alternative worlds are constructed in literature allows us to reflect on the shared commonplaces and (mis)conceptions about ancient civilizations. In this section, Benjamin E. Stevens focuses in particular on Catherynne M. Valente’s Radiance, with the aim of showing how artistic works can be used to generate estrangement in novels that propose alternative histories. Olabarría, for her part, examines Ramona Wheeler’s Three Princes, set in an alternative nineteenth century in which the Egyptian Empire has become a global power. In one of the most theoretically robust contributions—arguably among the most interesting of an already rich volume—Olabarría reflects on how the construction of an imaginary civilization, in this case an everlasting Egyptian empire with its geography and architecture, perpetuates certain dichotomies typical of orientalist interpretations of ancient cultures, especially those of the Near East. The section closes with Jesse Weiner’s study, which applies the notion of counterfactuals to literature, proposing the concept of “partial, terminal receptions.”
By way of conclusion, I would like to highlight the most significant aspects of The Ancient World in Alternative History and Counterfactual Fictions. First, the volume edited by Quiroga and Olabarría offers an innovative path of inquiry into antiquity in particular and into history as a discipline more broadly. Second, it is rare to find a collective work in which all the chapters are so well orchestrated, with a theoretical and methodological coherence that makes the book a genuine landmark in reception studies. The general arguments and theoretical premises are solid, which is especially important given that this is largely uncharted territory in ancient history. Finally, beyond its intellectual depth, the book is remarkably enjoyable—at times even entertaining. In short, this is a volume that scholars interested in reception studies cannot afford to miss, and one that will undoubtedly serve as a starting point for new reflections on history and society—reflections inspired by the histories that might have been but never were, and those that should have been but are not.
Authors and Titles
Foreword: On the Usefulness of What Didn’t Happen (Will Tattersdill)
Introduction (Alberto Quiroga Puertas and Leire Olabarria)
Section 1. Fortuna Imperatrix Mundi: History between Chance and Determinism
1.1 ‘Delenda Est’: Counterfactual and Narratological Obligations in Poul Anderson’s Gerundive History (Genevieve Liveley)
1.2 Counter-Apostate, Counter-Christianity in John Christopher’s Fireball (Ryan C. Fowler)
1.3 ‘All That Is Solid Melts into Air’: Destabilizing History in Robert Silverberg’s Roma Eterna (Sarah Annes Brown)
1.4 What if Aristotle Had Known (Better)? Technological Counterfactuals in L. Sprague de Camp’s Short Fiction ‘Aristotle and the Gun’ (F. Javier Campos-Daroca)
Section 2. Narratives of Power in Uchronias: Between ‘Big Men’ and Underrepresented Voices
2.1 The Triumph of Greek Civilization? Projecting Ancient Greece into an Alternate Future (Anastasia Bakogianni)
2.2 Emperor Julian’s American Dream (Alberto J. Quiroga Puertas and Elia Otranto)
2.3 Alternat(iv)e Fiction in T. S. Chaudhry’s The Queen of Sparta: Unrepresented Voices and Counterfactuality (Lynn S. Fotheringham)
Section 3. Art, Culture and the Poetics of Counterfactuals
3.1 ‘A Picture That Can Only Ever Come in Parts’: Alternate Histories of Film in Catherynne M. Valente’s Radiance (Benjamin Eldon Stevens)
3.2 How Place Creates Time: Imagined Architecture as an Expression of Identity in Ramona Wheeler’s Three Princes (Leire Olabarria)
3.3 Antiquity Interrupted: Partial Receptions as Counterfactuals (Jesse Weiner)
Notes
[1] To demonstrate the robust health of reception studies, it is enough to note that many prestigious publishers, such as Brill, Oxford University Press, Blackwell, and Bloomsbury, among others, have created collections specifically dedicated to this field. This interest is also reflected in the establishment of several academic journals devoted to reception studies, notably Anabases. Traditions et réceptions de l’Antiquité and Classical Receptions Journal.
[2] The reception of Antiquity in contemporary popular culture and in less commonly explored genres is the main theme of works such as: Lowe D., Shahabudin K. (eds). (2009). Classics for all. Reworking Antiquity in Mass Culture. Newcastle: Cambridge Scholars Publishing; Bost-Fievet M., Provini S. (dirs). (2014). L’Antiquité dans l’imaginaire contemporain. Fantasy, science-fiction, fantastique. Paris: Classiques Garnier; Rogers B. M., Stevens B. E. (2015). Classical Traditions in Science Fiction. Oxford: Oxford University Press; Dominas K., Wesołowska E., Trocha B. (eds) (2016). Antiquity in Popular Literature and Culture. Newcastle: Cambridge Scholars Publishing; Lozano, F., Álvarez-Ossorio, A., Alarcón, C. (2019). The present of antiquity: reception, recovery, reinvention of the Ancient World in current popular culture. Besançon: Presses Universitaires de Franche-Comté.
[3] See: Evans, R.J. (2014). Altered Pasts: Counterfactuals in History. London: Little, Brown.