Coleridge’s
Biographia Literaria
Introduction
The Biographia Literaria was one of
Coleridge’s main critical studies. In this work, he discussed the elements of
writing and what writing should be to be considered genius. Although the work
is not written from Coleridge’s poetic mind, it is still written with the
qualities and rhythm of the poetic. Not only does he discuss literature itself,
he discusses the many variables that influence and inspire writers. Through
this discussion, he makes many value judgments, leaving his audience with a
clear understanding of his stance on certain issues. Some of the issues he
tackles include politics, religion, social values, and human identity. His treatment
of these issues tends to be conservative in its foundation, yet also blatant
and original. He does not cater to a certain audience; rather he expresses his
own thoughts from a personal viewpoint.
Biographia
Literaria is the greatest book of criticism in English, and one of the most
annoying in any language. Wordsworth is the hero of the Biographia Literaria,
but in addition to him there is another important, although less visible, protagonist,
and this is Schelling. His influence on Coleridge was a good deal more
important than that of other German philosophers and men of letters he came
into more or less direct contact with, and this had a decisive impact on the
format and meaning of the Biographia Literaria. Coleridge wrote the Biographia
to defend Wordsworth’s poetry, or in part he did.
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