Introduction Thomas Kaminski’s Neoclassicism in literature compellingly captures the moment when Europe deliberately looked to the ancient past to become modern. From about 1660 to 1800, writers in France and England consciously adopted classical genres, techniques, and ideals. They aimed to craft what they saw as the most sophisticated and modern form of writing. Rather than treating Greek and Roman texts as untouchable relics, neoclassical authors transformed them into a living toolkit. They borrowed structures, reshaped myths, and...