Pater’s Use and Abuse of Quotation

Abstract

Examines claims by Paul Elmer More, Christopher Ricks, and others that Pater intentionally misuses quotations from other works to serve his own critical purposes. Defends Pater’s approach by citing the work of Matthew Arnold, whom More admires; notes how Arnold used material from others for his own purposes as well. Suggests that, to really understand how Pater uses quotations, one must recognize the juxtaposition between the past (when the quoted materials were written) and present (when Pater interprets them for modern readers).