Walter Pater, Marius the Epicurean, 1885

Walter Pater (1839-1894) was a writer and critic of English romantic poets and Renaissance art, as well as of William Morris, whom he admired greatly. His novel Marius the Epicurean (1885) is set in Apuleius’ times. It describes the life of Marius, a young Roman, who follows various philosophical schools after being disenchanted with traditional religion, including Epicureanism and Stoicism, which he experiences as the emperor Marcus Aurelius’ secretary.

Early on in the novel, the hero Marius and his friend Marianus read Apuleius’ Metamorphoses, which includes the story of Cupid and Psyche, at a dinner party. Apuleius’ novel is only summarised and discussed by the two boys, who admire Apuleius’ learned style:

 “… in an age when people, from the emperor Aurelius downwards, prided themselves, unwisely, on writing in Greek, he had written for Latin people in their own tongue; though still, in truth, with all the care of one writing a learned language” (p. 61).

Two scenes, though, are translated in full:  Lucius’ walk through the city of Hypata where he hopes to learn about magic (Met. 2.1), and the transformation of the witch Pamphile into an owl (Met. 3.21). The story of Cupid and Psyche is however completely included, in Chapter V: “The golden book” (an allusion to Apuleius’ title Metamorphoses or The Golden Ass). Pater describes Cupid and Psyche (p. 65): “With a concentration of all his finer literary gifts, Apuleius had gathered into it the floating star-matter of many a delightful old story.” The whole tale follows (pp. 65-93).

This is the second edition of the novel.

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