Katie McAden
Honors 141
Fiction Report
I. Complete Bibliographical Reference
Balderston, John L. and Sybil Bolitho. A Goddess to a God.
New York: The Macmillan Company, 1948.
II. Brief Biographical Sketch
John Balderston was born on October 22, 1889 in Philadelphia, PA.
He started a career in writing when he was 18 as a reporter. During
the late 1920's he was the chief London correspondent for the New
York World. However, he found his calling writing for the screen.
He wrote horror and fantasy screenplays throughout the 1930's and
40's. He contributed and collaborated in the writing of Dracula,
Frankenstein, The Bride of Frankenstein, The Lives of a Bengal Lancer,
The Last of the Mohicans, Red Planet Mars, and others. He also wrote
The Mummy however he did this on his own. He received a nomination
for an Academy Award for best screenplay for The Lives of a Bengal
Lancer. He also lectured in drama at the University of Southern
California starting in 1952. He died in 1954.
III. Brief Account of Historical/Cultural Background of the Work
In 1948 there were major advances in science and technology including
medicine. The Cold War was going on and always in the back of everyone's
mind. People were generally on edge. Balderston may have taken advantage
of the scared mentality in order to make some money. The people
were interested in escaping to a fantasy world and Cleopatra and
the glamour of ancient Egypt as well as her romance with Caesar
were exactly what they were looking for.
IV. The Principle Sources Used and the Traditions Followed
This book is based on research that Balderston and Bolitho did.
They consulted extensively with Professor Tarn and used his book
Cambridge Ancient History. Tarn is very knowledgeable in the subject
matter and added a lot of accuracy to the novel. The book is written
in the form of letters from Cleopatra to Caesar and one letter from
Caesar to Cleopatra, thus the title A Goddess to a God.
V. Brief Summary of the Plot or Thesis
This book pretty much follows our studies of Cleopatra. It begins
as Caesar has made Cleopatra and Ptolemy joint rulers and Arsinoe
is upset and is gathering troops to fight for the throne. Cleopatra
writes of Egypt and her feelings to Caesar. The book incorporates
Cleopatra's studies, her belief that she is Isis-incarnate, Caesar
and Cleopatra's romantic journey on the Nile, the birth of Caesarion,
Cleopatra's journey into Rome, to Caesar's death and her and Caesarion's
flee from Rome, and finally it concludes with a postscript talking
of her and Antony.
VI. Evaluation of the Historical/Cultural Accuracy
This novel is fairly accurate in terms of history. It describes
the basic events of the time and the affairs between Caesar and
Cleopatra. There were some discrepancies such as Cleopatra's exaggerated
emotions. From what we have learned she was not extremely loving
and concerned about the well-being of all her people. Here she was
portrayed as crying when her people were hungry or when the books
were burned. In the book she was also described as having been brought
in to Caesar by Apollodorous in a bed sack instead of a carpet,
and idea which is supported by some. It also exaggerated her feelings
for Caesar I think. In class I never got the impression she was
"in love" with Caesar but rather she was using him whereas
in the book she was concerned about his well-being and wrote with
despair when he had been away. Most of the events were accurate,
with some slight exaggeration. In terms of cultural accuracy, the
novel didn't go into much detail with the culture. I think the authors
wanted the novel to seem as realistic as possible and so they left
out a lot of culture which they didn't know about. When I was reading
the novel I would actually have to tell myself it was just fiction.
VII. Characterization of the Portrait of Cleopatra
Cleopatra is shown as a seductress by the way she speaks to Caesar
in her letters. She is shown as a loving Queen of her people who
worries when they do and who cries for them. She also believes she
is Isis-incarnate and as a Goddess she demands a certain amount
of respect. As a lover and a mother she is portrayed as loving and
gentle. She is also shown as being very knowledgeable through her
studies under Demetrius. She seems sort of self-centered as well.
VIII. Representative Passages of the Above
"Our strange encounter in his dirty lair, not a word spoken
between us, overwhelmed him. Simple force, ordinary men, he might
have outwitted even at that last moment, but he was subdued, I think,
by the long line of crowned Pharaohs he saw behind me, invisible
figures his own forbears had known. He could plot against me in
my Palace, but now he was gazing into my face, cold and blank as
the faces of the gods he hates, myself a goddess though to him and
evil one. And so we faced each other, he the Jew and I the Queen,
for an age that yet was no more than a moment, while I tried to
decide what to do. Threaten him in whispers, bribe him to silence,
outbid Arsinoe and win him to my side?"- Shows her power over
others, her belief that she is a goddess, and her manipulation.
(28)
"Men are slaves to their passions; you must learn never to
be a slave, Princess, to her who might prove the worst of all tyrants--yourself.
...I remarked I wouldn't be fit to rule until I could talk with
all my future subjects of our dozen races in their own tongues."
- shows advice I believe she took as well as her willingness and
desire to learn (37)
"Most of all I love the lines about the goddess smiling on
her baby's birth, under whose reign the iron brood of men shall
give place to a golden race."- shows her pride and love for
her son (133)
"I had such an urgent need of you. I needed your dear reasonableness.
If I could hide my face against your breast there would be no terrors."
-shows her love and longing for Caesar in the book (184)
IX. Overall Evaluation as a Work of History
I felt that this was a good work of history. It followed along with
what we had learned in class. It did, however, have some exaggeration
and discrepancies but that is to be expected with a work of fiction.
X. Overall Evaluation as a Work of Art/Literature
This was not a fun book to read. It was long and the names just
got too confusing. It seemed too much like a history book. It was
creative in that they used letters between Caesar and Cleopatra
to give the information.
Bibliography
Gale Literary Databases, Contemporary Authors. Gale Group, Thomson
Corporation Company; 4/30/98. 10/26/02.<http://ezproxy.rmc.edu:2158/servlet/GLD/hits?c=1&secondary=false&origSearch=true
&u=CA&t=KW&s=2&r=d&o=DataType&n=10&l=d&locID=vic_randolph&NA=John+L.+Bald
erston>