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> <p>Preface; Abbreviations; Acknowledgments; 1 The Chamois Hunter 2 Starting Points 3 The Associative Fancy 4 Imagination’s Synthesis of Being and Knowing 5 Imagination, Philosophic Consciousness and the ‘True and Original Realism’ 6 Poetry 7 Wordsworth and Poetic Diction 8 Wordsworth and the Imaginative Particular 9 Conclusion; Notes; Index</p>