Coleridge's contributions to Romantic theory reshaped how we view poetry and imagination. He distinguished between primary and secondary imagination, elevating the poet's role as a visionary creator. His ideas on the "willing suspension of disbelief" changed how readers engage with literature.

Coleridge's use of supernatural and exotic elements in his poetry, like "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" and "Kubla Khan," exemplified his theories. These works blend vivid imagery, complex themes, and fantastical elements to explore deeper truths about human experience and creativity.

Imagination and Fancy

Definitions and Distinctions

• In Biographia Literaria, Coleridge distinguishes between imagination and fancy
• Primary imagination perceives and produces the basic structure of experience
  • Allows humans to make sense of the world through their senses
  • Enables the creation of meaning and coherence in perception
• Secondary imagination is a creative faculty that dissolves, diffuses, and recreates the primary imagination's perceptions
  • Allows poets to create new realities and meanings through their art
  • Involves a conscious, intentional process of poetic creation
• Fancy is a lesser faculty that merely rearranges or recombines existing ideas and images
  • Does not involve the creative power or unifying force of the imagination
  • Produces superficial, decorative, or clever combinations rather than profound insights

Implications for Poetry

• Coleridge's theory elevates the role of the poet as a visionary and creator
  • Poets use their secondary imagination to transform and transcend ordinary reality
  • Poetry becomes a means of accessing higher truths and experiences
• The distinction between imagination and fancy establishes a hierarchy of poetic value
  • Works of true imagination are seen as superior to those of mere fancy
  • Encourages a focus on originality, depth, and unity in poetic composition

Poetic Theory

Willing Suspension of Disbelief

• Coleridge coined the term "willing suspension of disbelief" to describe the reader's role in engaging with imaginative literature
• Readers must temporarily set aside their skepticism and accept the fictional world created by the poet
  • Allows for a more immersive and emotionally resonant experience
  • Enables the reader to appreciate the symbolic and metaphorical dimensions of the work
• The willing suspension of disbelief is essential for the success of supernatural and exotic elements in poetry
  • Readers must be willing to accept the presence of otherworldly or fantastical elements
  • Suspension of disbelief allows these elements to serve a meaningful purpose within the poem's overall themes and structure

Supernatural and Exotic Elements

• Coleridge's poetry often incorporates supernatural and exotic elements as a means of exploring deeper truths and experiences
  • Supernatural elements (ghosts, curses, magic) challenge the boundaries of ordinary reality
  • Exotic settings (distant lands, ancient cultures) provide a sense of wonder and mystery
• These elements serve both aesthetic and thematic purposes in Coleridge's work
  • Create a sense of atmosphere and mood that enhances the emotional impact of the poem
  • Symbolize psychological states, spiritual journeys, or philosophical ideas
• The use of supernatural and exotic elements is closely tied to Coleridge's concept of the imagination
  • The secondary imagination allows the poet to create and explore these alternative realities
  • Readers must use their own imaginative faculties to engage with and interpret these elements

Major Works

The Rime of the Ancient Mariner

• An epic ballad that tells the story of a mariner's supernatural experiences at sea
  • The mariner shoots an albatross, bringing a curse upon his ship and crew
  • He encounters various otherworldly phenomena (the Night-mare Life-in-Death, the spirits of the dead crew)
• The poem explores themes of sin, penance, and redemption through the mariner's journey
  • The killing of the albatross symbolizes a violation of the natural order and a rupture in the mariner's relationship with the world
  • The mariner's suffering and eventual blessing by the water snakes represent his spiritual transformation and reconnection with nature
• Coleridge's use of vivid, fantastical imagery and a complex narrative structure create a sense of mystery and psychological depth
  • The poem's supernatural elements serve to heighten the emotional and moral stakes of the mariner's experience
  • The frame narrative (the mariner telling his story to the wedding guest) adds layers of meaning and interpretation

Kubla Khan

• A fragmentary, visionary poem that describes the mythical palace of Xanadu built by the Mongol emperor Kubla Khan
  • The poem's exotic setting and dreamlike imagery create a sense of wonder and mystery
  • The palace and its surroundings are depicted as a kind of earthly paradise, with lush gardens, sacred rivers, and "caverns measureless to man"
• The poem can be read as an exploration of the creative process and the power of the imagination
  • The vision of Xanadu represents the poet's ideal of imaginative fulfillment and harmony
  • The poem's abrupt ending and fragmentary nature suggest the elusive and unfinished nature of the creative act
• Coleridge's use of rich, sensory language and a fluid, musical structure contribute to the poem's hypnotic and evocative quality
  • The poem's sound patterns and rhythms create a sense of enchantment and transport the reader into its dreamlike world
  • The vivid descriptions of the landscape and architecture of Xanadu appeal to the reader's own imaginative faculties, inviting them to participate in the creation of meaning