Thomas Hope opens

with a vividly written portrait of Anastasius as the youngest son of a wealthy Greek. Yet by the end of the first chapter, Anastasius has left his father and his family behind on Chios to embark on a life of adventuring and ongoing self-invention across the Ottoman Empire during the latter third of the eighteenth century. Throughout the long narrative in three volumes, Hope draws together long lines of travel, and projects a fast moving portrait of a “young Greek”. This “young Greek” learns much about life from distant travelling, by serving as an active soldier in Ottoman armies, and by spontaneously relating to very different peoples before becoming a father himself.

After its sensational first reception, Hope’s Anastasius virtually

1647 words

Citation: Nolan, Jeremiah. "Anastasius". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 27 October 2006 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=21388, accessed 25 November 2024.]