Britain's Imperial Muse explores the classics' contribution to British imperialism and to the experience of empire in India through the long 19th century. It reveals the classics role as a foundational source for positive conceptions of empire and a rhetorical arsenal used by commentators to justify conquest and domination, especially of India.

C.A. Hagerman is Associate Professor of European History at Albion College, Michigan, USA. He earned his Ph.D. in History from the University of Toronto after completing a MA in Classical Archaeology from the University of British Columbia, Canada.

Acknowledgements 1. Introduction 2. Classical Education and Britain's Imperial Elite 3. Empires and Imperialism in British Classical Discourse 4. Classical Discourse and British Imperial Identity: the Nature of Empire 5. Classical Discourse and British Imperial Identity: the Civilizing Mission 6. Classical Discourse and British Imperial Identity: the Imperial Character 7. Classical Discourse and the Decline and Fall of Empires 8. Classical Discourse and British Conceptions of India 9. Classical Discourse in British India I: Coping with Life in India 10. Classical Discourse in British India II: Secret Knowledge 11. Conclusion References Endnotes