Ryan Gosling Looks Like 19th-Century Literary Critic Walter Pater

    "Hey, girl. I'm loving your aesthetic." —Walter Pater, probably

    Matt Ortile
    by Matt Ortile

    BuzzFeed Staff

    'Sup, nerds. So this is Walter Pater, 19th-century British fictionist, essayist, and literary and art critic.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Pater#/media/File:Walter-pater-1.jpg
    https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Oil_Panting_of_Walter_Pater.jpg

    What a mustachioed babe, right? (Bear with me.)

    You probably know him from your intro to literary studies course as the pre-Raphaelite homosexual* who wrote The Renaissance, a keystone piece of cultural criticism of a decadent literary movement.

    Oxford World's Classics
    The Modern Library

    *LOL, is that a tautology, or...?

    BUT WAIT. Look closely at this etching. Doesn't he look familiar?

    http://www.enotes.com/topics/walter-pater
    http://www.enotes.com/topics/walter-pater

    THERE IT IS.

    http://www.enotes.com/topics/walter-pater
    Getty Images Entertainment

    RIGHT???

    Salem Press, Inc. / Via enotes.com Brad Barket / Via Getty Images Entertainment
    Salem Press, Inc. / Via enotes.com Brad Barket / Via Getty Images Entertainment
    Salem Press, Inc. / Via enotes.com Brad Barket / Via Getty Images Entertainment

    Therefore, it is now time for pre-Raphaelite Ryan Gosling.

    Michael Loccisano / Via Getty Images Entertainment

    So now you know. Good luck with finals, kids.

    http://giphy.com/gifs/ryan-gosling-peace-kE1XWR7dQxlV6