Description: Spartacus, the Thracian gladiator turned rebel leader, endures as a near-mythic hero who fought for the oppressed against a Roman oligarchy built on the backs of slave labor. The image of Spartacus as a noble if doomed avenger is familiar and his story has been retold through history as a cautionary tale about social injustice.
Brief description: Michael G. Cornelius is a professor of English and director of the Master's of Humanities program at Wilson College in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. He is an award-winning novelist and the author or editor of numerous scholarly works.
Review Quotes: "Provides 11 original essays on the 2010-2013 Starz cable network series. The focus is on a gladiator who leads a rebellion against Rome in 73 to 71 BCE...assess[es] the characters and story lines from a variety of points of view"-Communication Booknotes Quarterly; "explores the topic of masculinity in Spartacus...also addresses is the complex relationship between fiction and history in television narrative"-ProtoView.