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'art comes to you professing frankly to give nothing but the
highest quality to your moments as they pass, and simply for those
moments' sake' In Studies in the History of the Renaissance (1873),
a diffident Oxford don produced an audacious and incalculably
influential defence of aestheticism. Through his highly
idiosyncratic readings of some of the finest paintings, sculptures,
and poems of the French and Italian Renaissance, Pater redefined
the practice of criticism as an impressionistic, almost erotic
exploration of the critic's aesthetic responses. At the same time,
reclaiming the Hellenism that he saw as the most characteristic
aspect of the Renaissance, he implicitly celebrated homoerotic
friendship. Pater's infamous 'Conclusion', which forever linked him
with the decadent movement, scandalized many with its insistence on
making pleasure the sole motive of life, even as it charmed fellow
aesthetes such as Oscar Wilde. This edition of Studies reproduces
the text of the first edition, recapturing its initial impact, and
the Introduction celebrates its doomed attempt to stand out against
the processes of industrialization. ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100
years Oxford World's Classics has made available the widest range
of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume
reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most
accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including
expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to
clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and
much more.
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