Design of Biographia Literaria

<p>First published in 1983 this book examines a work whose intricacies have baffled and infuriated generations of readers and proposes a theory of Coleridge’s writing habits that explain(s) his explanation. The author painstakingly analyses the <i>Biographia’s </i>organising structure distinguishing between the daring conception and often inept execution of Coleridge’s idea of critical discourse. It is argued that Coleridge’s autobiographical format present a richly metaphorical self whose literary life has led to the now-famous doctrine of secondary imagination. The author’s command of Coleridge scholarship will shed new light on the <i>Biographia </i>for specialists and non-specialists alike.</p>