Pater was shocked at the reaction his book inspired: 'I wish they would not call me a hedonist, it gives such a wrong impression to those who do not know Greek.'.The book had begun as a series of idiosyncratic, impressionistic critical essays on those artists that embodied for him the spirit of the Renaissance; by collecting them and adding his infamous Conclusion, Pater gained a reputation as a daring modern philosopher. But The Renaissance survives as one of the most innovative pieces of cultural criticism to emerge from the nineteenth century.

    She is befriended, en route, by a stranger, and finds a home at his house on the remote island of Sark. Olivia's life is the quietest; but she feels safe from pursuit, and is therefore, happy. When she has an accident, Dr. Martin Dobrée is brought from Guernsey, and he is very intrigued by Olivia and her mysterious past.