Marius the Epicurean, Walter the Medusean : Praz’s Paterian (Self-)Fashioning

Mario Praz not only introduced the study of Walter Pater to Italian culture and developed an early but lifelong interest in him, but also saw in the English author an in-absentia mentor for his own literary education and fashioning of himself as an artist and culture maven. Throughout Praz’s career, Pater represented a model for the discriminating critic, the aesthete and art lover, always susceptible to the unexpected element in beauty. It was possibly Pater, more than any other artist, philosopher or thinker, who provided Praz with the principles of his criticism and aesthetics. The essay explores the distinctive traits of Praz’s work that may reveal appropriations from Pater, while also considering more personal aspects of his figure that entail Paterian influence. It also illustrates how Praz’s emulation of the master was a long and intricate process, which involved at times misunderstandings and prejudices not so dissimilar from the misreadings of the previous Italian scholars of English literature Praz was so anxious to refute in order to claim the role of founder of English studies in Italy for himself.