Marius the Epicurean: Philosophical novel ancient Rome and spiritual journey

By Walter Pater

Book Overview

Marius the Epicurean by Walter Pater is a philosophical novel set in the Roman Empire during the second century. The story follows Marius, a thoughtful and sensitive young man, as he embarks on a spiritual and intellectual journey through the landscapes of ancient Rome. Through his experiences, Marius explores the teachings of Epicureanism and Stoicism, gradually encountering the emerging Christian community and its vision of life and death. This book appeals to readers interested in philosophical novels, historical fiction, or Victorian literature. It offers a unique perspective on the challenges of living a thoughtful life and the importance of seeking truth and beauty in a changing world. Book categories such as philosophical novel, historical fiction, and Victorian literature are naturally highlighted in this classic work.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 2322478563
• ISBN13: 9782322478569
• Release Date: July 2025
• Publisher: Bod - Books on Demand
• Length: 402 Pages
• Weight: 1.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.8" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

Stupor mundi

Why does no one read Pater these days? He writes with the fervid delicate beauty of a butterfly defying the storms of winter. As literature becomes ever more commercialised, this sensual celebration seems even more important. A pleasure every bit as sensual and refreshing as a Turkish bath.

Beautiful

Pater was one of the most insightful and exacting critics of England, and his fiction exceeded even his own standards for beauty. Marius the Epicurean is the story of a young man's spiritual and aesthetic awakening in ancient Rome. He journeys from Stoicism to Cyrenaicism to Epicureanism, and finally to Christianity. The book is subtle and profound, and is written in Pater's characteristically lovely prose. I do not recommend this book to anyone who wants a traditional linear plot in which the protagonist is motivated by external events; rather, I recommend it to all who wish "to burn with a hard, gemlike flame," to all who make careful aesthetic contemplation their highest goal.