Biographia Literaria: Coleridge

GENERAL ESTIMATE OF CH:14 BIOGHRAPHIA

LITERARIA: COLERIDGE
* Introduction:-
The written monuments of Coleridges critical work is contained in 24 chapter of
Biographic Literaria (1815-17).In this critical disquision, Coleridge consents himself not only with the
practice of criticism, but also, with its theory. In his practical approach to criticism, we get the glimpse
of Coleridge the poet; whereas in theoretical discussion, Coleridge the Philosopher came to the
center stage.
In chapter XIV (14) of Biographic Literaria, Coleridges view on nature and function
of poetry in discussed in philosophical terms .The poet within Coleridge discusses the difference
between poetry and prose, and the immediate function of poetry, whereas the philosopher discusses
the difference between poetry and poem. He was the first English writer to insist that every work of art
is, by its very nature, an organic whole. At the first step he rules out the assumption, which, from
Horace onwards, had wrought such havoc in critism, that the object of poetry is to instruct; or, as a
less extreme from of the heresy had asserted, to make men morally better.

* Explanation of Coleridges view in ch.14

Biographic Literaria:-
Coleridge begins this chapter with his views on two cardinal points of poetry.

Two cardinal points of poetry :

1 The power of exciting the sympathy of the reader by a faithful adherence to the truth of
Nature, and..
2 The power of giving the interest of novelty by modifying with the colors of imagination.

According to him, it was decided that words worth would write poetry dealing with the theme
of first cardinal point and the other was to be dealt by him.
For the first type of poetry, the treatment and subject matter should be, to quote Coleridge,

The sudden charm, which accidents of light and shade, which moon-light or sun-set diffused over a
known and familiar landscape, appeared to represent the practicability of combing both.

These are the poetry of Nature

In such poems, subjects were to be chosen from ordinary life; the characters and incidents
were to be such, as will be found in every village and its vicinity, where there is a meditative and
feeling mind to seek after them, or to notice them, when they present themselves.
 In the second type of poetry, the incidents and agents were to be Supernatural. In this sort of
poetry, to quote Coleridge, The excellence aimed at was to consist in the interesting of the affections
by the dramatic truth of such emotions as would naturally accompany such situation, supposing them
real. And real in this sense they have been to every human being at any time believed himself under
Supernatural agency. Thus with the help of imagination the natural will be dealt supernaturally by the
poet and the reader will comprehend it with willing Suspension of disbelief.

The Lyrical Ballads consists of poems dealing with these two cardinal points. Wherein, the
Endeavour of Coleridge was to deal with Persons and characters Supernatural, and that of words
worth was to give the charm of novelty to things of every day, by awakening the minds attention from
the lethargy of custom, and directing in to the loveliness and the wonders of the world before

us.

* In defense of words worths poetic Creed:-

Coleridge, even though he did not agree with words worths views on poetic diction,
vindicated his poetic creed in chapter: 14 of Biographic Literary. Coleridge writers in defense to the
violent assailant to the, Language of real Life adopted by words worth in the lyrical Ballads.

There had been strong criticism against words worths view expressed in preface also

Coleridge writes in his defense: Had Mr. Words worth's poems been the silly, the childish things,
which they were for a long time describe as being; had they been really distinguished from the
composition of other poets merely by manners of language and inamity of thought, had they indeed
contended nothing more than what is found in the parodies and pretended initatial of them; euust
have sunk at once, a dead weight into the slough of oblivion, and have dragged the preface along
with them.
Thus, Coleridge gives full credit to the genius of words worth.
It does not dean that he agreed with words worth on all points.
With many parts of this preface in the sense attributed to them and which the words
undoubtedly seem to authorize, I never concurred; but on the contrary objected to them as erroneous
in principle, and as contradictory (in appearance at least) both to other parts of the same preface, and
to the authors own practice in the greater number of the poems themselves. Mr. Words worth in his
recent collection has, I find, degraded this prefatory disquisition to the end of his second volume, to be
read or not at the readers choice.

* Distinguish between prose and poem:-

The poem contains the same elements as a prose the elements as a prose composition.
 But the difference is between the combination of those elements and objects aimed at in both the
composition.

If the object of the poet may simply be to facilitate the memory to recollect certain fact, he would
make use of certain artificial arrangement of words with the help of meter.

As a result composition will be a poem, early because it is distinguished from composition in prose by
meteor by rhyme. In this, the lowest sense one might attribute the name of a poem to well known
enumeration of the days in the several month;
Thirty days hath September,
April, June, and November, & C.
Thus, to Coleridge, mere super addition of meter or rhyme does not make a poem.
He further elucidates his view point by various prose writings and its immediate purpose and ultimate
and. In scientific and Historical composition, the immediate purpose is to convey the truth. In the
prose works of other kinds, to give pleasure in the immediate purpose and the ultimate and may be to
give truth.Thus, the communication of pleasure may be the immediate object of a work note metrically
composed.

Now the question is would then the mere super addition of meter, with or without rhyme, entitle these
to the name of poem?

To the Coleridge replies that if meter is super added the other part of the composition also must
harmonies with it. In order to deserve the name poem each part of the composition, including meter,
rhyme, diction and theme must harmony with the wholeness of the composition.

Meter should not be added to provide merely a superficial decorative charm. nothing can permently
please, which does not contain it self the reason why it is so, and not otherwise. If meter is super
added, all other, parts must be made constant with it. They all must harmony with each other.

A poem, there for, may be defined as, that species of composition, which is opposed to works of
science, by proposing for its immediate object pleasure, not truth; and from all other species it is
discriminated by proposing to it self such delight from the whole, as it compatible with and distinct
gratification from each component part.
Thus, according to Coleridge, the poem is distinguished from prose compositions by
its immediate object. The immediate object of prose is e to give truth and that of poem is to please.
He again distinguishes those prose compositions from poem whose object is similar to poem i.e. to
please. He calls this poem a legitimate poem and defines it as, it must be one, the part of which
mutually support and explain each other; all in their proportion harmonizing with, and supporting the
Should be carried forward, note nearly or chiply by the mechanical impulse of curiosity or by a
restless desire to arrive at the final solution; but by the pleasurable activity of mind excited by the
attraction of the journey itself. Coleridge puts an end to the age old controversy whether the end of
poem is instruction or delight.

* Coleridge views on Imagination & Fancy:-

 In chapter XIV of biographia literaria, Coleridge writes The Imagination then he consider either as
primary, or secondary. The primary imagination he holds to be the living power and prime agent of all
human perception, and as a repetition in the finite mind of the eternal act of creation in the infinite he
was. The secondary Coleridge consider as an echo of the former, coexisting with the conscious will,
yet still as identical with the primary in the kind of agency, and differing only in degree, and in the
mode of its operation. It dissolves, diffuses, dissipates, in order to recreate; or where this process is
rendered impossible. Yet still, at all events, it struggles to idealize and to unify. It is essentially vital,
event as all objects are essentially fixed and dead

Fancy:-

Fancy, on the contrary, has no other counters to play with but fixities and definite. The fancy
is indeed no other than a mode of memory emancipated from the other order of time and space; and
blended with, and modified that empirical phenomenon of the will which he expresses by the word
choice. But equally with the ordinary memory it must receive all its materials ready made from the law
of association.

Imagination:-
In chapter XIV of the book he calls imagination, a magical and synthetic power, and add,
this power, first put in action by the will and understanding and retained under their remissive, though
binding gentle and unnoticed, control, reveals itself in the balance or reconciliation of opposite or
discordant qualities: of sameness, with difference; of the general. With the concrete; the idea, with the
, image the individual, with the representative, the sense of novelty and freshness, with old and
familiar object; a more then usual state of emotion, with more than usual order; judgment ever awake
and steady self-possession, with enthusiasm and feeling profound or vehement; and while it blends
and harmonizes the natural and the artificial, still subordinates art to nature: the manner to the matter;
and our admiration of the poet to our sympathy with the poetry.

1. Primary Imagination:-

It is the power of perceiving the object of sense, both in their parts and as awhole.It is an involuntary
act of the mind: the human mind receives impressions and sensations from the out side world,
unconsciously and involuntarily, it imposes some sort of order on those impressions, reduces them to
shape and size, so that the mind is able to form a clear image of the out side world. It is in this way
that clear and coherent perception becomes possible.
2. Secondary Imagination:-

Secondary imagination which makes artistic creation possible. It is more active and conscious in its
working. It requires an effort of the will, volition and conscious afford. It works upon what is perceived
by the primary imagination, its raw material is the sensations and impression supplied to it by the
primary imagination. By and effort of the will and the intellect, the secondary imagination selects and
orders the row material, and reshapes and remodels it into objects of beauty. The external world and
steeps then with a glory and dream that never was on sea and land. It is an active agent which,
Dissolves, diffuses, and dissipates, in order to create.

This secondary imagination is at the root of all poetic activity. It is the power which harmonies
and reconciles opposites, and hence Coleridge calls it a magical, synthetic power. This unifying power
of the imagination is best seen in the fact that it synthesizes of fuses the various faculties of the soul-
perception, intellect, will, emotion and fuses the internal with the external the subjective with the
objective, the human mind with external nature, the spiritual with the physical or material, it is through
the play of this unifying power that nature is colored by the soul of the poet, and soul of the poet is
steeped in nature.

The identity which the post discovers in man and nature results from the synthesizing activity
of the secondary imagination.

Coleridge explains the point by quoting two passages from Shakespeares Venus and
Adonis. The following lines from this poem serve to illustrate Fancy:

Full gently now she takes him by the hand

Ivory in an lily poisoned in a goal of snow

Doubtless, as sir John Davies observes of the soul (and his words may with slight alteration
be applied, and even more appropriately to the poetic Imagination)

Doubtless this could not be, but that she turns

Bodies to spirit by sublimation strange..

Finally, Good SENSE is the BODY of poetic genius, FANCY its DRAPERY MOTION its LIFE,
and IMAGINATION the SOUL that is every where, and in each; and forms all into one graceful and
intelligent whole.

* Originality of Coleridges views comparison

with words worth:-
Coleridge owed his interest in the study of imagination to Wordsworth.
Wordsworth was interested only in the practice of poetry and he considered only the impact of
imagination on poetry.
 Coleridge is the first critic to study the nature of imagination and examine its role in creative activity.

Secondly, while words worth uses fancy and Imagination almost as synonyms, Coleridge is the first
critic to distinguish between then and define their respective roles. Thirdly, Wordsworth does not
distinguish between primary and secondary imagination.
Coleridges treatment of the subject is, on the whole, characterized by greater depth, penetration and
philosophical subtlety.
It is his unique contribution to literacy theory.

* Conclusion:- To conclude, we may say in his own words, he endeavored to

establish the principles of writing rather than to furnish runes about how to pass judgment on what
had been written by others.

Thus, Coleridge is the first English critic who based his literary criticism on philosophical principles.
While critics before him had been content to turn a poem inside out and to discourse on its, merits
and demerits, Coleridge busied himself with the basic question of how it came to be there at all. He
was more interested in the creative process that made it, what it was, then in the finished product.