Quo Vadis · Chapter
Introductory explained
Jeremiah Curtin introduces Sienkiewicz's Quo Vadis as a depiction of the early conflict between Christianity and the Roman Empire, contrasting it with the author's earlier Polish trilogy and emphasizing the growing global significance of th
What happens
Jeremiah Curtin introduces Sienkiewicz's Quo Vadis as a depiction of the early conflict between Christianity and the Roman Empire, contrasting it with the author's earlier Polish trilogy and emphasizing the growing global significance of this moral struggle.
Themes in this chapter
Christianity vs. Pagan Rome
The introduction frames the entire novel as a depiction of the opening conflict between Christian moral ideas and the Roman Empire, from which Christianity emerged as the leading historical force.
Key passages
“In Quo Vadis the author gives us pictures of opening scenes in the conflict of moral ideas with the Roman Empire—a conflict from which Christianity issued as the leading force in history.”
Quo Vadis portrays the early stages of the moral struggle between Christian ideals and the Roman Empire, a struggle that ultimately made Christianity the dominant influence in history.
Curtin summarizes the central historical and thematic premise of the novel.