Biographia Literaria by Samuel Taylor Coleridge - Summary and analysis

 

In his work Biographia Literaria, Samuel Taylor Coleridge distinguishes between the concepts of fancy and imagination, which he sees as two separate creative faculties. Coleridge believed that imagination was a powerful, unifying force that is essential to artistic creation, while fancy was a lesser, associative ability that involves bringing together images without a true act of creation. This distinction is central to Romantic philosophy and Coleridge’s own literary theory.

 Samuel Taylor Coleridge was an English poet, literary critic and philosopher is known for his close friendship and poetic collaboration with William Wordsworth. He is also considered as the founder the English romantic movement along with Wordsworth.  

 The Biographia Literaria an autobiography in discourse by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, which he published in 1817. It was one of Coleridge’s main critical studies. In this work, he discussed the elements of writing.

Poetry is indeed a creative activity according to Coleridge. It is the product of imagination. Fancy and imagination are considered as the two manifestations of the creative pursuit. It is the product of an artistic mind and not at all a copy of the original. It makes the familiar strange and the strange familiar. 

 

Primary Imagination

Coleridge describes the primary imagination as “the living power and prime agent of all human perception.” It is the natural ability that everyone has to perceive the world around them and to make sense of it. Coleridge considers this a spontaneous and divine faculty.

 

This faculty allows people to take in and understand their experiences, though not in an entirely conscious way. It operates subconsciously, connecting the individual mind to the world.

 

Example: When we look at a sunset, the primary imagination helps us perceive its colors and shapes, allowing us to experience and understand its beauty without actively trying to create anything new from it.

 

Secondary Imagination

Coleridge defines secondary imagination as an echo of the primary imagination, but it differs in that it requires conscious effort and will. He calls it “a synthetic and magical power,” as it enables the artist or poet to reshape and recreate their experiences, by filling them with personal meaning and depth. This faculty transforms raw experience into artistic creation. It is a unifying force, one that doesn’t merely replicate reality but adds emotional and intellectual depth to it.

 

A poet may see the sunset but use the secondary imagination to shape it into a powerful metaphor for something beyond the physical sight, perhaps using it as a symbol of the fleeting nature of time.

 

example from the poem ode to nightingale by John Keats:

Away! away! for I will fly to thee,

         Not charioted by Bacchus and his pards,

But on the viewless wings of Poesy,

         Though the dull brain perplexes and retards:

Already with thee! tender is the night,

         And haply the Queen-Moon is on her throne,

                Cluster'd around by all her starry Fays;

                        But here there is no light,

         Save what from heaven is with the breezes blown

                Through verdurous glooms and winding mossy ways.

 

I cannot see what flowers are at my feet,

         Nor what soft incense hangs upon the boughs,

But, in embalmed darkness, guess each sweet

         Wherewith the seasonable month endows

The grass, the thicket, and the fruit-tree wild;

         White hawthorn, and the pastoral eglantine;

                Fast fading violets cover'd up in leaves;

                        And mid-May's eldest child,

         The coming musk-rose, full of dewy wine,

                The murmurous haunt of flies on summer eves.

 

In Xanadu did Kubla Khan

A stately pleasure-dome decree:

Where Alph, the sacred river, ran

Through caverns measureless to man

   Down to a sunless sea.

 

 

Fancy

In contrast to imagination, fancy is seen as a lower, more mechanical faculty. Coleridge describes it as “a mode of memory,” which does not create but merely rearranges what is already there. Fancy is not transformative but associative, connecting ideas and images that are already known.

 

Fancy is decorative rather than creative. It relies on superficial connections between objects and images, lacks the depth and unifying power of imagination.

 

Example: In poetry, fancy would be seen in the use of stock images, similes, or metaphors that don’t provide any new insight. If a poet describes the sunset simply as “red as a rose,” this is a product of fancy, where a common image is used in a predictable way.

 ............................................

In Biographia Literaria, Samuel Taylor Coleridge presents a deeply philosophical view of poetry and the role of the poet. His ideas contribute to the Romantic belief that poetry arises from a unique, imaginative process and that the poet occupies a special place within society, being able to connect with deeper truths through creativity.

 

Poetry as a Product of Imagination

For Coleridge, poetry is the product of the secondary imagination, a faculty that goes beyond mere imitation or replication of reality. This secondary imagination is an “echo” of the primary imagination, which he describes as “the living power and prime agent of all human perception.”

 

The poet, through secondary imagination, transforms ordinary experience into something profound, giving it new life and meaning. Poetry, then, is not simply about describing the world but creates an idealized version of reality, unified and resonant with deeper significance.

 

 

Poetry as the Union of Opposites

Coleridge views poetry as a form that synthesizes opposites: the finite with the infinite, the known with the unknown, and the ideal with the real. This unifying power is what gives poetry its depth and beauty.

 

This balance of contrasts is a central feature of Coleridge’s view of poetic creation. The poet uses imagination to bring together elements that might seem contradictory. Coleridge describes poetry as the “balance or reconciliation of opposite or discordant qualities,” and he believes that it is through this balancing act that poetry achieves its unique power to evoke emotions and convey complex truths.

 

The Poet as a “Chosen” Individual

Coleridge describes the poet as a unique individual, one capable of perceiving and communicating truths that others might not see. The poet, therefore, has a sensitive soul that can experience a heightened form of existence. The poet is often a visionary, someone capable of glimpsing an idealized reality and articulating it in ways that resonate universally. Coleridge’s conception of the poet aligns with the Romantic view of the artist as a kind of seer or prophet. Coleridge asserts that “the poet, distinguished from the philosopher, is one who, in addition to a specific talent, has acquired a habit of mind and feeling, of spiritualizing and elevating all that he perceives.” it underscores the idea that poets possess a special sensitivity that allows them to see beyond the surface of things.

Poetry as the Expression of Universal Truths

According to Coleridge, true poetry conveys universal truths that resonate with readers across time and place. Poetry goes beyond the mere personal and particular; it speaks to common human experiences, emotions, and insights. Coleridge argues that poetry should be able to “awaken the mind’s attention from the lethargy of custom.” In this way, poetry can transform the ordinary by offering readers new insights and inspiring a deeper understanding of life.

Coleridge writes, “Its immediate object is pleasure, not truth; but truth is the ultimate end of all true poetry.” This means that while poetry is intended to be pleasurable, its true purpose is to reveal truths about existence, thus combining beauty with knowledge.

The Role of Emotion and “Poetic Faith”

Coleridge believes that poetry should evoke a powerful emotional response in readers, bringing them into a state of “poetic faith”—a willingness to suspend disbelief and accept the imaginative vision presented by the poet.

 

This state of mind, where the reader becomes immersed in the poem and accepts its imaginative premises, is crucial to the experience of poetry. Poetry, therefore, relies on the reader’s ability to engage emotionally and intellectually with the poetic vision.

 

Coleridge introduces the concept of “the willing suspension of disbelief for the moment, which constitutes poetic faith.” This suspension of disbelief allows readers to experience the poem’s imaginative world fully.

In his poem Kubla Khan, Coleridge exemplifies many of these theories. The poem’s rich imagery and dreamlike quality invite readers into an imaginative realm that feels both mysterious and profound, blending reality with fantasy. The poet’s use of secondary imagination turns a dream into a complex vision of an exotic world. Kubla Khan invites the reader to experience “poetic faith” through its vision of a paradise where human creativity and nature merge.