''Valerius'' is an 1821

historical novel Historical fiction is a literary genre in which the plot takes place in a setting related to the past events, but is fictional. Although the term is commonly used as a synonym for historical fiction literature, it can also be applied to other ty ...

three volumes The three-volume novel (sometimes three-decker or triple decker) was a standard form of publishing for British fiction during the nineteenth century. It was a significant stage in the development of the modern novel as a form of popular literatur ...

by the Scottish writer John Gibson Lockhart, the first of four that he wrote. Lockhart was the son-in-law of

Walter Scott Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 – 21 September 1832), was a Scottish novelist, poet, playwright and historian. Many of his works remain classics of European and Scottish literature, notably the novels ''Ivanhoe'', ''Rob Roy (n ...

, and the work was seen as an attempt to imitate the style of his father-in-law's Waverley Novels. It is set in

Ancient Rome In modern historiography, ancient Rome refers to Roman civilisation from the founding of the city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD. It encompasses the Roman Kingdom (753–509 B ...

, a historical period that Scott himself avoided writing about. Valerius, the hero, converts to

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...

and has to flee to Britain to escape the persecution of the

Emperor Trajan Trajan ( ; la, Caesar Nerva Traianus; 18 September 539/11 August 117) was Roman emperor from 98 to 117. Officially declared ''optimus princeps'' ("best ruler") by the senate, Trajan is remembered as a successful soldier-emperor who presid ...

. Aquino & King p.590

References

Bibliography

* Aquino, Frederick D. & King Benjamin J. ''The Oxford Handbook of John Henry Newman''. Oxford University Press, 2018. * Baugh, Albert C (ed.) ''A Literary History of England Vol. 4''. Routledge, 2004. * Vance, Norman & Wallace, Jennifer (ed.) ''The Oxford History of Classical Reception in English Literature, Volume 4''. Oxford University Press, 2012. 1821 British novels Novels by John Gibson Lockhart William Blackwood books Novels set in ancient Rome British historical novels {{1820s-novel-stub