About “On the Malice of Herodotus”
On the Malice of Herodotus is an essay by Plutarch that criticizes the historian Herodotus for bias and inaccurate representation in his Histories. It is regarded as "the first book review" and "the first instance in literature of the slashing review." The 19th-century English historian George Grote viewed the essay as a serious critique of Herodotus's work. Grote contrasted Herodotus's open and journalistic approach to events with Plutarch's preference for an idealizing and moralizing tone. The essay reflects Plutarch's dissatisfaction with Herodotus's methods and reliability as a historian. (Summary adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.)