Reception of Ancient Egypt in 19th-20th Century British Literature

Sofia Belousova

doi:10.31804/2782-540X-2025-4-4-53-68

UDC

CSCSTI

13.00

Russian Classification of Professions by Education

51.00.00

Russian Trade and Bibliographic Classification

Russian Library and Bibliographic Classification

BISAC

ART

VAK Russia

RECEPTION OF ANCIENT EGYPT IN 19TH-20TH CENTURY BRITISH LITERATURE Reception of Ancient Egypt in 19th-20th Century British Literature

АА Аа

Published in Asia, America and Africa history and modernity · Pages 53–68 · Rubric: American culture

DOI: https://doi.org/10.31804/2782-540X-2025-4-4-53-68 · EDN: FDHENH

Received: 27.12.2025 Accepted: 28.12.2025 Published: 31.12.2025

Authors

Sofia Belousova

Siberian Federal University Russian Federation · Krasnoyarsk

ABSTRACT

The interest of Western culture, including British culture, in the cultures of Eastern countries, such as Egypt, reflects the global process of interaction between diametrically opposed cultures and mindsets, and shows how deeply the reception of ancient civilizations has influenced the formation of modern cultural narratives. The aim of the study is to identify the features of the reception of Ancient Egypt in the literature of Great Britain in the 19th-20th centuries, their role and methods of formation, the influence of colonial discourse on the understanding of the images of Ancient Egypt. The article analyzes the reception of Ancient Egypt in British literature of the 19th and 20th centuries, as represented by writers such as Arthur Conan Doyle, Richard Marsh, Bram Stoker, Henry Rider Haggard, Algernon Blackwood, Arthur Weigall, E. F. Benson, and Denis Wheatley. As a result of the application of the narrative method of analysis and qualitative analysis, it was revealed that the reception of Ancient Egypt in British literature of the 19th and 20th centuries is a multilayered cultural phenomenon that combines interest and admiration for the ancient civilization, but at the same time, it retains the colonial mindset of the superiority of British culture over Eastern cultures. Reception also serves as a tool for the British to understand their own identity. Through literature, authors often seek to reflect on the historical relationship between Britain and Egypt.

KEYWORDS

the phenomenon of reception, intercultural dialogue, receptions of ancient Egypt, Great Britain

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Belousova S. V. Reception of Ancient Egypt in 19th-20th Century British Literature // Asia, America and Africa history and modernity. 2025. no. 4. pp. 53-68. DOI: https://doi.org/10.31804/2782-540X-2025-4-4-53-68. EDN: FDHENH. (Date of access 06.09.2026).

MLA

Sofia Belousova. "Reception of Ancient Egypt in 19th-20th Century British Literature." Asia, America and Africa history and modernity 4.4 (2025): 53-68. DOI: https://doi.org/10.31804/2782-540X-2025-4-4-53-68. EDN: FDHENH.

APA

Belousova S. V. (2025). Reception of Ancient Egypt in 19th-20th Century British Literature. Asia, America and Africa history and modernity, 4(4), 53-68. https://doi.org/10.31804/2782-540X-2025-4-4-53-68 EDN: FDHENH.

Chicago

Sofia Belousova. "Reception of Ancient Egypt in 19th-20th Century British Literature." Asia, America and Africa history and modernity 4, no. 4 (2025): 53-68. https://doi.org/10.31804/2782-540X-2025-4-4-53-68. EDN: FDHENH.

WIKI

{{cite journal | author = Belousova S. V. | title = Reception of Ancient Egypt in 19th-20th Century British Literature | journal = Asia, America and Africa history and modernity | year = 2025 | volume = 4 | issue = 4 | pages = 53-68 | doi = 10.31804/2782-540X-2025-4-4-53-68 }} EDN: FDHENH

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