Greco-Roman Classics in Times of Chilean Independence: Authors, Books and Influences

Abstract

The ideology of the independence of Chile (1810-1818) has been usually analyzed based on the influence that the illustrated liberalism exercised over it. Nevertheless, a new reading of the texts written in the context of the emancipation see also to reveal, the relevance of the classic Greco-Roman model for the configuration and legitimization of the first republican projects.
How and why classics became models to follow? Which were the model authors in the context of the independence? A review on the circulation of books and the writing and reading practices, which were predominant since the 18th century in Spanish America, will allow discovering the process through which the classic nourished part of the imaginary of the Chilean patriots.