ABSTRACT
The predominance of Akhenaten novels fits in, with the ideas developed by literary critics like Georg Lukcs that the rise of the novel is closely linked to the ideology of individualism. The strangeness of Amarna art which inspires writers in the first place often stultifies the literary imagination rather than liberating it. The success of Swedenborgianism, Mesmerism, Spiritualism and various types of Theosophy showed how much public appetite there was for new and exotic forms of religious belief to supplement or replace orthodox forms of Christianity. The discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun at the same time as the excavation of Amarna was to be a turning point in the development of fictions about Akhenaten. The Watch Gods adds the standard ingredients of Egyptological fiction and films to the familiar epiphany with the Amarna royals. The casting illuminates the perception of Akhenaten post-Second World War, and how this was adapted to fit the conventions of epic films.
