
20th Trends in Classics International Conference
Mapping the History of Greek Literary History
Thessaloniki, May 21-23, 2026.
Francisco García-Jurado and María José Barrios-Castro
Grupo de Investigación UCM “Historiografía y Recepción de la Literatura Grecolatina”. UNIVERSIDAD COMPLUTENSE
ABSTRACT
This paper examines the development of handbooks and syllabi on Greek Literary History published in Spain during the nineteenth century, analyzing them not merely as pedagogical tools but as expressions of broader intellectual and ideological transformations. Drawing on the Catalogue Raisonné of Hispanic Textbooks of Classical Literature (1782–1935), the study traces the gradual reception of modern European historiography of Greek Literature within the Spanish academic context. Particular attention is given to the influence of German scholarship, especially the historiographical frameworks established by Johann Joachim Winckelmann and Friedrich August Wolf, whose concepts of literary periodization and originality profoundly shaped the modern discipline. These ideas reached Spain largely through French intermediaries and were adapted to local cultural, political, and religious circumstances. The paper explores several key stages in this process: the earliest Spanish handbook by Braulio Foz and the French model represented by Alexis Pierron; the ideological division between liberal and conservative approaches to Greek Literary Historiography; and the singular contribution of Salvador Costanzo, whose work extended the scope of Greek Literature to Greco-Christian and Neo-Hellenic traditions. Finally, the Spanish translation of Otfried Müller’s Geschichte der Griechischen Literatur bis auf das Zeitalter Alexanders, promoted by Alfredo Adolfo Camús, is examined as the culmination of a long-standing aspiration to establish a rigorous and modern historiography of Greek Literature in Spain. Overall, the study reveals how the teaching of Greek Literary History became a site of cultural transfer, ideological debate, and scholarly modernization within nineteenth-century Spanish intellectual life.
INTRODUCTION
This paper does not aim simply to present a bibliography of nineteenth-century Spanish handbooks on Greek Literature. Instead, it offers a narrative about their intellectual significance and what they reveal about the development of Greek Literary History in Spain.

Drawing on the Catalogue Raisonné of Hispanic Textbooks of Classical Literature, we examine how modern European historiography—especially that developed in Germany—was gradually received and adapted in the Spanish academic context.
Greek Literary History, as a discipline, is deeply rooted in the intellectual tradition shaped by figures such as Johann Joachim Winckelmann and Friedrich August Wolf, whose ideas on literary periodization and originality transformed the study of antiquity. However, these ideas did not reach Spain directly: they were largely mediated through France and adapted to local cultural and ideological conditions.
In this paper, we will focus on four key moments:
a) the emergence of the first Spanish handbook and the role of French mediation;
b) the ideological divide between liberal and conservative approaches;
c) the exceptional case of Salvador Costanzo;
d) finally, the Spanish translation of the Literary History by Karl Otfried Müller, which represents the culmination of this historiographical process.
Overall, we argue that the teaching of Greek Literary History in nineteenth-century Spain became a site of cultural transfer, ideological debate, and scholarly modernization.
Let us begin with the first stage.
BRAULIO FOZ AND ALEXIS PIERRON: THE FIRST HANDBOOK AND THE FIRST TRANSLATION
The earliest Spanish handbook of Greek Literature was written by Braulio Foz and published in the mid-nineteenth century. His work represents a foundational moment: it is not only the first national attempt to systematize Greek Literary History, but also an example of how foreign historiographical models were selectively adapted. Foz simplifies the complex periodizations developed by German scholars and proposes a more accessible structure, better suited to local teaching needs.

Alongside this national initiative, we find an equally important phenomenon: the translation of foreign handbooks. A key example is the work of Alexis Pierron, which became highly influential in Spain. Unlike the more systematic German tradition, Pierron’s approach is more linear and less theoretical, aimed at a cultivated general audience rather than specialists.

This contrast between Foz and Pierron illustrates a broader pattern that will persist throughout the century: the coexistence of original Spanish works and translated foreign models. It also highlights the mediating role of France, through which German scholarship was often filtered before reaching Spain.
IDEOLOGICAL DIMENSION: LIBERALS VS. CONSERVATIVES

The second major aspect we would like to address is the ideological dimension of these handbooks. Nineteenth-century Spain was deeply divided between liberal and conservative positions, and this division is clearly reflected in the historiography of Greek Literature.
On the one hand, liberal authors tended to embrace European philological advances and to adopt a more open attitude toward Greek culture, including its pagan elements. Figures such as Raimundo González Andrés, Santiago Usoz y Río, and above all Alfredo Adolfo Camús exemplify this tendency.

These scholars promoted what we may call a philhellenic vision: not only were they interested in ancient Greece as a classical model, but also in its cultural continuity and its relevance for modern intellectual life. Their work shows a clear engagement with contemporary European scholarship and a desire to modernize Classical Studies in Spain.
On the other hand, conservative authors adopted a more cautious or even skeptical stance toward these innovations. Their handbooks often place greater emphasis on Christian literature and moral instruction, sometimes subordinating Greek pagan culture to a broader religious framework.

Writers such as Jacinto Díaz, Justo Álvarez Amandi, Pedro Bartolomé Casal, and José Campillo y Rodríguez illustrate this orientation. Their works tend to organize Greek Literature not only in historical terms, but also according to doctrinal or moral criteria, reflecting the influence of Neo-Catholic thought.
This ideological contrast shows that the historiography of Greek Literature was not a neutral scholarly field. On the contrary, it was deeply embedded in the political and cultural tensions of the time. The way Greek Literature was interpreted, organized, and taught depended on broader debates about religion, modernity, and national identity to a large extend.
SALVADOR COSTANZO

A particularly interesting and somewhat exceptional case is that of Salvador Costanzo. His handbook stands out for its originality and for its attempt to expand the scope of Greek Literary History beyond its traditional limits.
Unlike most authors, who ended their accounts with the Byzantine period, Costanzo proposed a broader vision that included Greco-Christian and even modern Greek literature. In doing so, he challenged the conventional boundaries of the classical canon and presented Greek Literature as a continuous and evolving tradition.

His work also incorporates elements that are largely absent from other handbooks, such as translations, critical commentary, and references to contemporary authors. This gives his book a more personal and interpretive character, reflecting his individual intellectual project.
At the same time, Costanzo’s work reveals the influence of Romantic and philhellenic ideas, particularly in his interest in modern Greece and its cultural revival. However, despite its originality, his handbook did not achieve the lasting impact that its author may have intended.
KARL OTFRIED MÜLLER

This brings us to the final stage of this historiographical development: the Spanish translation of Karl Otfried Müller’s handbook on Greek Literature.
This translation, published in 1889 and promoted by Alfredo Adolfo Camús, represents a decisive moment in the consolidation of Greek Literary History as a modern academic discipline in Spain. Müller’s work embodies the rigorous and systematic approach characteristic of German philology, and its introduction into the Spanish context marked a significant step forward.

For Camús, this translation was not simply a scholarly project, but the realization of a long-standing intellectual aspiration: to provide Spain with a solid and scientifically grounded account of Greek Literature. In this sense, the publication of Müller’s handbook can be seen as the culmination of decades of efforts to modernize Classical Studies in Spain.
It also reflects a broader shift in academic culture, as Spanish scholars increasingly sought to align themselves with the most advanced European models. The contrast between Müller’s comprehensive work and earlier more elementary handbooks highlights the extent of this transformation.
CONCLUSIONS

In conclusion, the study of nineteenth-century Spanish handbooks on Greek Literature reveals a complex process of cultural transmission and intellectual change. These works were not merely pedagogical tools, but key instruments in the construction of a modern scholarly discipline.
Through them, we can observe how German historiographical models were introduced, adapted, and sometimes contested within the Spanish context, often through French mediation. We can also see how ideological divisions shaped the interpretation of Greek culture, influencing both the structure and the content of these histories.
Literature
-Primary sources
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Müller, Karl Otfried (1841), Geschichte der Griechischen Literatur bis auf das Zeitalter Alexanders, Breslau, im Berlage bei Josef Max und Comp.
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Campillo y Rodríguez, José (1882a), Lecciones de literatura griega para un curso de lección alterna de esta asignatura por D. José Campillo y Rodríguez, doctor en las facultades de derecho y filosofía y letras, y catedrático, por oposicion, de literatura griega y latina en la Universidad de Valladolid, Valladolid, Imp. y Libreria Nacional y Extranjera de hijos de Rodríguez (CRMHLC 67).
Campillo y Rodríguez, José (1882b), Programa de literatura griega acomodado al libro de texto por José Campillo y Rodríguez, catedrático, por oposición, de dicha asignatura en la Universidad Literaria de Valladolid, Valladolid, Imprenta, Librería Nacional y Extranjera de Hijos de Rodríguez (CRMHLC 68).
Camús, Alfredo Adolfo (1861), Programa de literatura clásica, griega y latina, presentado por el catedrático de esta asignatura en la Universidad Central Dr. D. Alfredo Adolfo Camus, Madrid, Imprenta de las Escuelas Pías (CRMHLC 32).
Casal, Pedro Bartolomé (1881), Epítome de literatura griega y latina por Fr. Pedro Bartolomé Casal, catedrático de universidad, Santiago, [s.n.] (Imprenta de D. Manuel Mirás y Alvarez) (CRMHLC 64).
Costanzo, Salvador (1860), Manual de literatura griega, con una breve noticia acerca de la literatura greco-cristiana, de los griegos que pasaron a Italia cuando los turcos se apoderaron de Constantinopla, y de la lengua y literatura de la Grecia moderna. Escrito por Salvador Costanzo, Madrid, [s.n.] (Est. Tip. de Mellado) (CRMHLC 31).
Díaz, Jacinto (1865), Historia de la literatura griega escrita por el Dr. D. Jacinto Díaz, Pbro. catedrático de literatura clásica en la Universidad de Sevilla, Barcelona, [s.n.] (Imp. del Diario de Barcelona) (CRMHLC 36).
Díaz, Jacinto (1866), Compendio de la historia de la literatura griega del Dr. Jacinto Díaz, Pbro. catedrático de literatura clásica en la Universidad de Sevilla, formado por el mismo para uso de los alumnos del año preparatorio de derecho, Barcelona, [s.n.] (imprenta del Diario de Barcelona) (CRMHLC 38).
Foz, Braulio (1849), Literatura griega: esto es, su historia, escritores, juicio de sus principales obras, y contestación a las críticas falsas ó incompetentes que se han hecho de ellas por Braulio Foz, catedrático de lengua griega de la Universidad Literaria de Zaragoza, Zaragoza, [s.n.] (imprenta de Antonio Gallifa) (CRMHLC 18).
Foz, Braulio (1853), Literatura griega, esto es, su historia, sus escritores y juicio critico de sus principales obras por Don Braulio Foz, catedrático de lengua griega en la Universidad Literaria de Zaragoza (obra señalada para la enseñanza pública.) Segunda edición, Zaragoza, Imprenta y Librería de Vicente Andrés (CRMHLC 24).
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