Walter Pater flourished as a literary and art critic, novelist, and story writer in England during the late nineteenth century. His older contemporary Matthew Arnold said of this period: “There is not a creed which is not shaken, not an accredited dogma which is not shown to be questionable, not a received tradition which does not threaten to dissolve” (“Introduction”, The English Poets, ed. T. H. Ward, 1880, para.1). Pater was one of the questioners and shakers who helped to revolutionize thinking during the period, drawing upon his extensive knowledge of the history of Western philosophy, history, art, and mythology; British, Continental, and American literature; the higher criticism of the Bible; and the latest …

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Citation: Inman, Billie Andrew. "Walter Pater". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 30 April 2004 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=5073, accessed 29 March 2024.]

5073 Walter Pater 1 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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