„Tu wszędzie jest Rzym” – przestrzeń w kryminałach historycznych Stevena Saylora, Johna Maddoxa Robertsa i Lindsey Davis

Abstract

The article evaluates the spatial aspects of historical crime novels located in Ancient Rome. In particular, it demonstrates the image of the Roman Empire and the functions of space. This classic mise-en-scène is completely subordinated to the genre convention. The space becomes not only a background but also a component of various criminal actions. Unlike in Agatha Christie’s novels, it does not create an idyllic counterpoint to the murderous instincts of Roman citizens. The article concentrates on the form of historical crime fiction, in which all elements are subordinated to the attractiveness of intrigue. However, it also refers to the cognitive ambitions of the historical novel. So the question is what the reader learns about the SPQR of the declining Republic or about Vespasian Rome. First and foremost, it is the vivid image of the metropolis – chaotic, eclectic and vital. It is the world in a state of territorial expansion. Contrary to the assumption shared by Ryszard Koziołek with David Lowenthal that the past is the domain of otherness and that the difference generates incomprehensibility, this picture seems to be extremely familiar and understandable. This is probably due to the fact that the foreignness of “Romanity” has been familiarized in popular culture.