Pictorial Shakespeare, 1880-1890 - eTheses Repository - University ...

54
an air of grave thought, of an intellectual
purpose, in itself, aesthetically, very
pleasing,,.^
Thic awareness of transience, rather thuri permanence, has been
traced x'rom Keats to Roosetti, who "with only a clicjht darkening
of his mood... nay become more aware of the moment's
a o
parking than its permanence" . The figures in Keats' urn
and in Pater's Imaginary Portraits have considerable similarities,
but whereas Keats'figures seem unafraid, unconscious
of the passage of time and frozen in moments of pleasure and
anticipation, Pater's characters are acutely aware of change
and loss - they have a sense of their own poignancy. In Keats
this sense is confined to the observer, but in Pater author
and creation share one personality, one consciousness; as
Duke Carl of Rosenmold recognises:
Surely past ages, could one ^ct at the
historic soul of them, were not dead, but
living, rich in company, for tlie entertains nt,
the expansion, of the presents and Duke Carl
was still without suspicion of the cynic
after thought that cuch historic soul WIG but
an arbitrary substitution, a generous 13211 of
one'r self. .3.,
In Oscar .tilde's review of Apprec i ations it was claimed that
"It is only about tliingc that do not interest one, tliat one
£ives n really unbiased oninionj and this is no doubt the
reason why on unbiased opinion ic alv/ayr? absolutely valueless"^
2ho stylo is less subtle than Pater's, but the i£ea is not
wholly unfaithful to his critical approach, .i'io huinility w;~.s
paradoxically egotistic, hie advocacy Bncl admiration of
irricrti.-1 r.ior ril jucif;e;-";cnt a curious conrnani in for tho evident
p;irtiality of his choice of subjects. Thir, icind of receptive,
paDGivc intellect pro^oc.ed by Pater io in uraiy roc-nccts
rnalo^ous to that cr.nvnosoci by »?ilde in "L'-nvoi". Pater
becomec what he studies in a manner that rofloctc the -ft'lory
of his subjects upon himself, and the process is not unlike
tiiat b which cwinburne, \Vildo ana Helen Paucit a. ainilate
Siiaic-jspearo uO their own perconality.