Introduction:

• The written monument of Coleridge's critical work is contained in 24 chapters of Biographia

Literaria (1815-17). In this critical disquisition, Colerid concerns 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 poet; whereas in theoretical discussion, Coleridge the philosopher
came to the centre stage.
• In Chapter XIV of Biographia Literaria, Coleridge's view on nature and function of poetry is
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 criticism, that the object of poetry is is to
instruct; or, as a less extreme form of the heresy had asserted, to make men morally better.

Key Issues in Ch. 14 of Biographia Literaria:

• Q1. Which two cardinal points of poetry are discussed by Coleridge in Chapter 14 of
Biographia Literaria?
• Q2. "During the first year that Mr. Wordsworth and I were neighbours, our conversations
turned frequently on the two cardinal points of poetry". Explain with reference to Coleridge's
view in Ch. 14 of Biographia Literaria.

• 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 Wordsworth "was to
give the charm of novelty to things of every day, by awakening the mind's attention from the lethargy of
custom, and directing it to the loveliness and the wonders of the world before us."

• Two cardinal points of poetry: Coleridge begins this chapter with his views on two cardinal points of
poetry. To him these cardinal points are (i) the power of exciting the sympathy of the reader by a faithful
adherence to the truth of nature, and (ii) the power of giving the interest of novelty by modifying with
the colours of imagination. According to him, it was decided that Wordsworth 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 combining both. These are the poetry of nature." In such
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 situations, supposing them real.
And real in this sense they have been to every human being who, from whatever source of delusion, has
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.

• Q3. What are Coleridge's views towards Wordsworth's poetic creed?

 • Q4. "Had Mr. Wordsworth's poems been the silly, the childish things... they must have sunk at
once, a dead weight, into the slough of oblivion, and have the preface along with them".
Explain with reference to Coleridge's view in Chapter 14 of Biographia Literaria.

• Coleridge, even though he did not agree with Wordsworth's views on poetic diction, vindicated his
poetic creed in chapter 14 of Biographia Literaria. Coleridge writes in defence to the violent assailant to
the language of freal life' adopted by Wordsworth in the Lyrical Ballads.

• There had been strong criticism against Wordsworth's views expressed in Preface also.

• Coleridge writes in his defence: "Had Mr. Wordsworth's poems been the silly, the childish things,
which they were for a long time described as being; had they been really distinguished from the
compositions of other poets merely by meanness of language and inanity of thought; had they indeed
contained nothing more than what is found in the parodies and pretended imitations of them, they
must have sunk at once, a dead weight, into the slough of oblivion, and have dragged the preface along
with them". He wrote that the 'eddy of criticism' which whirled around these poems and Preface would
have dragged them in oblivion.

• But it has not happened. Instead, to quote Coleridge, "year after year increased the number of Mr.
Wordsworth's admirers. They were found too not in the lower classes of the reading public, but chiefly
among young men of strong ability and meditative minds; and their admiration (inflamed perhaps in
some degree by opposition) was distinguished by its intensity, I might almost say, by its religious
fervour." Thus, Coleridge gives full credit to the genius of Wordsworth.

• It does not mean that he agreed with Wordsworth on all the points.

• Coleridge writes: "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 author's own practice in the greater number of the poems themselves.

• Mr. Wordsworth 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 reader's choice".

• Hence, we may say that, Coleridge is frank enough to point out that some of the views of Wordsworth
were wrong in principle and contradictory, not only in parts of the Preface but also to the practice of the
poet himself in many of his poems.

• Q5. How does Coleridge distinguish between Prose and Poem?

• Q6. Does the super addition of metre make the difference between prose and poem?
• Q7. Would then the mere super addition of metre, with or without rhyme, entitle these to the
name of poems? Explain.
• Q8. "A poem contains the same elements as a prose composition". Elucidate.
• Q9. What according to Coleridge is the nature and function of poem?

• The poem contains the same elements as a prose composition. But the difference is between the
combination of those elements and objects aimed at in both the composition.
• According to the difference of the object will be the difference of the combination. If the object of the
poet may simply be to facilitate the memory to recollect (remember) certain facts, he would make use
of certain artificial arrangement of words with the help of metre.

• As a result composition will be a poem, merely because it is distinguished from composition in prose
by meter, or by rhyme. In this, the lowest sense, one might attribute the name of a poem to the well-
known enumeration of the days in the several months;

• Thirty days hath September,

April, June, and November

• 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
end. In scientific and historical composition, the purpose is to convey the truth (facts). In the prose
works of other kinds (romances and novels), to give pleasure in the immediate purpose and the ultimate
end may be to give truth. Thus, the communication of pleasure may be the immediate object of a work
not metrically composed.

• Now the question is "Would then the mere super addition of metre, with or without rhyme, entitle
these to the name of poems?"

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

• Metre should not be added to provide merely a superficial decorative charm. Nothing can
permanently please, which does not contain in itself the reason why it is so, and not otherwise. If
metre is super added, all other, parts must be made constant with it. They all must harmonise with
each other.

• A poem, therefore, 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 (having
this object in common with it) it is discriminated by proposing to itself such delight from the whole, as is
compatible with a distinct gratification from each component part.

• Thus, according to Coleridge, the poem is distinguished form prose compositions by its immediate
object. The immediate object of prose is to give truth and that of poem is to please.

• He again distinguishes those prose compositions (romance and novels) 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 parts of which mutually
support and explain each other; all in their proportion harmonizing with, and supporting the purpose
and known influences of metrical arrangement"

• Therefore, the legitimate poem is a composition in which the rhyme and the metre bear an organic
relation to the total work. While reading this sort of poem "the reader should be carried forward, not
merely or chiefly 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 attractions of the journey itself".
• Here Coleridge asserts the importance of the impression created by the harmonious whole of the
poem. To him, not one or other part but the entire effect, the journey of reading poem should be
pleasurable.

• Thus Coleridge puts an end to the age old controversy whether the end of poem is instruction or
delight. Its aim is definitely to give pleasure, and further poem has its distinctive pleasure, pleasure
arising from the parts, and this pleasure of the parts supports and increases the pleasure of the whole.

• Q10. How does Coleridge differentiate between Poem and Poetry?

• Q11. "Poetry of the highest kind may exist without metre and even without the
contradistinguishing objects of a poem." Explain.
• Q12. "A poem of any length neither can be, nor ought to be, all poetry". Explain.
• Q13. The difference between poem and poetry "is a distinction resulting from the poetic
genius itself, which sustains and modifies the images, thoughts, and emotions of the poet's
own mind".

The difference between Poem and Poetry:

• In the last section of the chapter 14, Coleridge considers to distinguish poem from poetry. Coleridge
points out that "poetry of the highest kind may exist without metre and even without the
contradistinguishing objects of a poem".

• He gives example of the writings of Plato, Jeremy Taylor and Bible. The quality of the prose in this
writings is equal to that of high poetry.

• He also asserts that the poem of any length neither can be, nor ought to be, all poetry. Then the
question is what is poetry? How is it different from poem?

• To quote Coleridge: "What is poetry? is so nearly the same question with, what is a poem? The answer
to the one is involved in the solution of the other. For it is a distinction resulting from the poetic genius
itself, which sustains and modifies the images, thoughts, and emotions of the poet's own mind.

• Thus the difference between poem and poetry is not given in clear terms. Even John Shawcross (in
Biographia Literaria with Aesthetical Essays 1907 Ed.) writes "this distinction between 'poetry' and
'poem' is not clear, and instead of defining poetry he proceeds to describe a poet, and from the poet he
proceeds to enumerate the characteristics of the imagination".

• This is so because 'poetry' for Coleridge is an activity of the poet's mind, and a poem is merely one of
the forms of its expression, a verbal expression of that activity, and poetic activity is basically an activity
of the imagination.

• As David Daiches(A Critical History of English Literature) points out, 'Poetry' for Coleridge is a wider
category than a 'poem'; that is, poetry is a kind of activity which can be engaged in by painters or
philosophers or scientists and is not confined to those who employ metrical language, or even to those
who employ language of any kind.

• Poetry, in this larger sense, brings, 'the whole soul of man; into activity, with each faculty playing its
proper part according to its 'relative worth and dignity. This takes place whenever the synthesizing, the
integrating, powers of the secondary imagination are at work, bringing all aspects of a subject into a
complex unity, then poetry in this larger sense results.
• David Daiches further writes in A Critical History of English Literature, "The employment of the
secondary imagination is a poetic activity, and we can see why Coleridge is let from a discussion of a
poem to a discussion of the poet's activity when we realize that for him the poet belongs to the larger
company of those who are distinguished by the activity of their imagination."

• By virtue of his imagination, which is a synth synthetic and magical power, he harmonize and blends
together various elements and thus diffuses a tone and spirit of unity over the whole.

• It manifests itself most clearly in the balance or reconciliation of opposite or discordant qualities
such as (a) of sameness, with difference, (b) of the general, with the concrete, (c) the idea, with the
image, (d) (d) the individual, with the representative, (e) the sense of novelty and freshness, with old
and familiar objects, (f) a more than usual state of emotion, with more than usual order, (g) judgment
with enthusiasm. And while this imagination blends and harmonizes the natural and the artificial, it
subordinates to nature, the manner to the matter, and our admiration of the poet to our sympathy
with the poetry.

• To conclude, we may say In his own words, he endeavored 'to establish the principles of writing rather
than to furnish rules 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.