Marius the Epicurean, Volume 2
Author: first_name: Walter
last_name: Pater
Language: English
Year: 1910

The conclusion of Pater's historico-philosophical novel about a young Roman nobleman's search for purpose and meaning. Set in the time of Caesar Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, the book traces its title character's encounters with the stoicism of Aurelius, Eastern philosophical and religious movements, and Christianity as they reacted with Marius's own innate Epicureanism. 

In exploring these issues, Pater focuses on themes of adult development, as he notes the impact of Marius's childhood experie