Marius the Epicurean (Vol. 1&2) (Annotated)
Enriched Edition. Philosophical NovelBy Walter Pater
Length12h 33m
About this audiobook
Walter Pater's Marius the Epicurean (1885), presented here in two volumes, is a philosophical and historical Bildungsroman set during the comparatively peaceful reign of the Antonine emperors. It follows Marius, a sensitive young Roman, through education, travel, friendship, religious inquiry, and encounters with both pagan ritual and the emerging Christian community. Pater's richly meditative prose transforms antiquity into an aesthetic and spiritual landscape, combining archaeological detail, classical allusion, and finely controlled descriptions of sensation. The novel belongs to the late Victorian tradition of historical romance while also exemplifying the aesthetic movement's concern with beauty, inward experience, and the disciplined cultivation of life. Its narrative gradually tests Epicurean pleasure against Stoic ethics and Christian self-sacrifice, without reducing these alternatives to simple doctrinal conclusions. Pater (1839–1894), an Oxford don, essayist, and central theorist of English Aestheticism, wrote against the moralizing conventions of conventional Victorian criticism. His studies of Renaissance art and classical culture, together with his reflections on the intensity and brevity of experience, deeply inform Marius. The novel also reflects his sustained interest in how individuals construct meaning amid cultural and religious change, making its ancient setting a subtle vehicle for modern intellectual concerns. Marius the Epicurean is especially rewarding for readers interested in classical reception, Victorian literary history, religious thought, and prose style. It invites slow reading, offering not merely a story of spiritual development but an exquisitely nuanced meditation on beauty, conscience, mortality, and the possibilities of humane belief.
This enriched edition has been carefully crafted to add value to your reading experience.
- A succinct Introduction situates the work's timeless appeal and themes.
- The Synopsis outlines the central plot, highlighting key developments without spoiling critical twists.
- A detailed Historical Context immerses you in the era's events and influences that shaped the writing.
- A thorough Analysis dissects symbols, motifs, and character arcs to unearth underlying meanings.
- Reflection questions prompt you to engage personally with the work's messages, connecting them to modern life.
- Hand‐picked Memorable Quotes shine a spotlight on moments of literary brilliance.
- Interactive footnotes clarify unusual references, historical allusions, and archaic phrases for an effortless, more informed read.
Audiobook details
Rating★★★★ 4.0 (1.6K)
Includes Goodreads, LibraryThing, Amazon, StoryGraph
GenreLiterary Classics, Historical Fiction
Length12 hrs 33 mins
Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices
FormateBook with Audio
Publish dateNov 27, 2023
LanguageEnglish
Table of contents
1The Renaissance: Studies in Art and Poetry
2William Dean Howells: 27 Novels in One Volume (Illustrated)
3Intentions (Annotated)
4Biographia Literaria (Annotated)
5Oroonoko
Show all chaptersShow less
6Introduction
7Synopsis
8Historical Context
9Volume 1
10PART THE FIRST
11CHAPTER I: "THE RELIGION OF NUMA"
12CHAPTER II: WHITE-NIGHTS
13CHAPTER III: CHANGE OF AIR
14CHAPTER IV: THE TREE OF KNOWLEDGE
15CHAPTER V: THE GOLDEN BOOK
16CHAPTER VI: EUPHUISM
17CHAPTER VII: A PAGAN END
18PART THE SECOND
19CHAPTER VIII: ANIMULA VAGULA
20CHAPTER IX: NEW CYRENAICISM
21CHAPTER X: ON THE WAY
22CHAPTER XI: "THE MOST RELIGIOUS CITY IN THE WORLD"
23CHAPTER XII: THE DIVINITY THAT DOTH HEDGE A KING
24CHAPTER XIII: THE "MISTRESS AND MOTHER" OF PALACES
25CHAPTER XIV: MANLY AMUSEMENT
26Volume 2
27PART THE THIRD
28PART THE FOURTH
29CHAPTER XX: TWO CURIOUS HOUSES
30CHAPTER XXI: TWO CURIOUS HOUSES
31CHAPTER XXII: "THE MINOR PEACE OF THE CHURCH"
32CHAPTER XXIII: DIVINE SERVICE.
33CHAPTER XXIV: A CONVERSATION NOT IMAGINARY
34CHAPTER XXV: SUNT LACRIMAE RERUM
35CHAPTER XXVI: THE MARTYRS
36CHAPTER XXVII: THE TRIUMPH OF MARCUS AURELIUS
37CHAPTER XXVIII: ANIMA NATURALITER CHRISTIANA
38Analysis
39Reflection
40Memorable Quotes
More from Walter Pater
Aesthetic PoetryWalter Pater20m3.2 (50)$2 · $0.00
The Renaissance: Studies in Art and PoetryWalter Pater5h 48m4.0 (2.6K)$2 · $0.00
Appreciations, with an Essay on StyleWalter Pater6h 52m3.7 (58)$2 · $0.00
Imaginary PortraitsWalter Pater4h 8m3.8 (49)$1 · $0.00
Marius the Epicurean (Vol. 1&2) (Annotated)Walter Pater12h 36m3.7 (1K)$2 · $0.00
The Renaissance: Studies in Art and PoetryWalter Pater7h 1m4.2 (4.7K)$1 · $0.00
Miscellaneous Studies; a series of essaysWalter Pater4h 34m$2 · $0.00
To Kill a MockingbirdHarper Lee12h 18m4.5 (7.4M)$29 · $0.00
These Precious DaysAnn Patchett11h 14m4.5 (45.2K)$29 · $0.00
Henry V (The Play, Historical Background and Analysis of the Character in the Play)William Shakespeare, William Hazlitt8h 50m4.6 (1.3K)$1.99 · $0.00
H. P. LOVECRAFT Ultimate Collection: Novellas, Short Stories, Poetry & Essays (Annotated)H. P. Lovecraft12h 28m4.6 (2.3K)$2 · $0.00
Time RegainedMarcel Proust16h 8m4.5 (10.6K)$1.99 · $0.00
The Mis-Education of the NegroCarter Goodwin Woodson4h 32m4.5 (28.4K)$10 · $0.00
Lessons in TruthH. Emilie3h 50m4.6 (1.4K)$4.70 · $0.00
TORAH - Bilingual Edition: English/Hebrew (Annotated)Max Margolis, JPS28h 26m4.6 (1K)$2 · $0.00
Betty Crocker picture cooky bookBetty Crocker, Inc. General Mills2h 13m4.5 (6.5K)$1 · $0.00
The Complete Tales of Beatrix PotterBeatrix Potter3h 36m4.5 (75K)$3 · $0.00
Anne of Green GablesL. M. Montgomery11h 1m4.5 (1.2M)$2.30 · $0.00
Crime and Punishment (The Unabridged Garnett Translation) (Annotated)Fyodor Dostoevsky24h 25m4.5 (15.4K)$1.99 · $0.00
The North American IndianEdward S. Curtis, Frederick Webb Hodge6h4.5 (1.2K)$2 · $0.00
The Picture of Dorian Gray: The Uncensored 13 Chapter Version + The Revised 20 Chapter Version (Annotated)Oscar Wilde16h 12m4.5 (2.8K)$1.99 · $0.00
Grimoire Of The Everyday WitchIsadora Lys / Virginia Santos5h 35m4.5 (3.9K)$9 · $0.00
Winnie-the-PoohAlan Alexander Milne2h 52m4.5 (401.1K)$3 · $0.00
Sitting PrettyRebekah Taussig7h 33m4.5 (18.9K)$26 · $0.00
The Poetic Edda & The Prose EddaSnorri Sturluson, Saemund Sigfusson9h 34m4.5 (4K)$1 · $0.00
The Complete Satires & Essays of Mark Twain (Annotated)Mark Twain23h 21m4.5 (1.1K)$2 · $0.00
Anne of Green GablesLucy Maud Montgomery11h 10m4.4 (1.3M)$8 · $0.00
Under the Light of the Italian MoonJennifer Anton12h 28m4.5 (5.3K)$23 · $0.00
Jubilee, 50th Anniversary EditionMargaret Walker15h 43m4.5 (9.5K)$25 · $0.00
Pride and PrejudiceJane Austen14h 44m4.4 (4.7M)$2 · $0.00
Flying Colours (Annotated)Cecil Louis Troughton Smith9h 26m4.4 (10.1K)$2 · $0.00
With Love from HarlemReShonda Tate13h 48m4.5 (2K)$6 · $0.00
Sweet Home Highland ChristmasMay McGoldrick, Jan Coffey2h 54m4.5 (1.4K)$7 · $0.00
Rilla of InglesideL. M. Montgomery12h 25m4.4 (67.5K)$2 · $0.00
Death Comes for the Archbishop (Annotated)Willa Cather9h 13m4.4 (4.7K)$2 · $0.00
The Alice NetworkKate Quinn15h 7m4.4 (887.1K)$33 · $0.00
The Goddess of WarsawLisa Barr13h 4m4.4 (36.4K)$33 · $0.00
The Ohio River Trilogy: Betty Zane, The Spirit of the Border & The Last TrailZane Grey29h 8m4.4 (1.8K)$1 · $0.00
The Attic ChildLola Jaye14h 46m4.4 (21K)$33 · $0.00
Martyr of the CatacombsJames De Mille3h 41m4.5 (744)$1 · $0.00
Quo VadisHenryk Sienkiewicz22h 52m4.4 (62K)$21 · $0.00
Bring Up The BodiesHilary Mantel14h 35m4.4 (150K)$33 · $0.00
By the Shores of Silver LakeLaura Ingalls Wilder7h 38m4.4 (103.7K)$1 · $0.00
Sexy/DangerousBeverly Jenkins10h 19m4.4 (2.3K)$29 · $0.00
Trustee from the ToolroomNevil Shute Norway11h 42m4.4 (10.5K)$1 · $0.00
Chasing CassandraLisa Kleypas8h 59m4.3 (108.3K)$29 · $0.00
Deeper than the OceanMirta Ojito12h 29m4.4 (927)$29 · $0.00
You may also like
What Now?Ann Patchett54m4.1 (4.3M)$11 · $0.00
The Unknown MasterpieceHonoré de Balzac2h 30m4.0 (7.5K)$2 · $0.00
The Portrait of a LadyHenry James26h 5m3.9 (116.7K)$1.20 · $0.00
Awakening the HeartGeorgia Heard8h 47m4.4 (513)$23
Biographia Literaria (Unabridged) (Annotated)Samuel Taylor Coleridge15h 53m3.9 (3.5K)$1.99 · $0.00
How We ThinkJohn Dewey8h 52m4.0 (1.6K)$22 · $0.00
The Maddie DiariesMaddie Ziegler4h 31m3.9 (4.8K)$20 · $0.00
John BarleycornJack London6h 35m4.0 (5.1K)Free
Biographia Literaria (Annotated)Samuel Taylor Coleridge13h 15m3.8 (1K)$1.99 · $0.00
The Unknown Masterpiece (Annotated)Honoré de Balzac2h 53m3.7 (7.2K)$2 · $0.00
The WavesVirginia Woolf8h 4m4.2 (67.1K)$2.30
Marius the Epicurean, Vol 2Walter Horatio Pater5h 40m3.5 (10)$1 · $0.00
The Life of Samuel Taylor ColeridgeJames Gillman7h 12m$2 · $0.00
Primary HandworkElla Victoria Dobbs1h 57m$2 · $0.00
The Gentle Persuasion: Sketches of Scottish LifeAlan Gray2h 46m$2 · $0.00
Mortal SummerMark Van Doren2h 13m$1 · $0.00
Girl Scouts: Make New Friends, Keep the OldGirl Scouts3m$4 · $0.00
ACT ENGLISH STUDY GUIDE 2026–2027Adrian Hartwell12h 51m$10
Letters of John Keats to His Family and FriendsJohn Keats14h 23m4.2 (75)$1 · $0.00
My First Day (A Bugville Jr. Story)R. Stanek16m4.1 (12)$4 · $0.00