Pompeii Reading Guide & Discussion Questions

1. 'It struck me that Rome might be a way to write about America' —Robert Harris Robert Harris had initially set out to write about a utopia gone wrong, set in the future and created by a giant American corporation, he even originally researched the Walt Disney 'empire'. Do you think the Roman Empire is an interesting way to write about a modern day superpower? What are the similarities with current global events?
   


2. There is a current vogue in film (Gladiator, Troy, Alexander the Great) as well as books for classical themes — why do you think this is? What are the parallels with our society?
   


3. Harris has referred to 'toga resistance' because so much about the Romans — their habits, assumptions, they way they speak, even their names — can be alienating to a contemporary audience. Do you feel he succeeds in being readable and authentic?
   

Unless otherwise stated, this discussion guide is reprinted with the permission of Fawcett. Any page references refer to a USA edition of the book, usually the trade paperback version, and may vary in other editions.