 Title page for Marius the Epicurean (1885) | |
| Author | Walter Pater |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | Philosophical novel |
Publication date | March 1885 |
| Publication place | United Kingdom |
Marius the Epicurean: his sensations and ideas is a historical and philosophical novel by Walter Pater (his only completed full-length fiction), written between 1881 and 1884, published in 1885 and set in 161–177 AD, in the Rome of the Antonines. It explores the intellectual development of its protagonist, a young Roman of integrity, in his pursuit of a congenial religion or philosophy at a time of change and uncertainty that Pater likened to his own era.[1] The narration is third-person, slanted from Marius's point of view, added to which are various interpolated discourses, ranging from adaptations of classical and early Christian writings to Marius’s diary and authorial comment.
- ^ Pater, Marius the Epicurean, Chapter XVI