Biographia Literaria Important Points To Remember

Biographia Literaria Important Points To Remember

This following blog post in Desire NET English will contain important points to remember from Samuel Taylor Coleridge's "Biographia Literaria".

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Important Points

• The "Biographia Literaria" is a critical autobiography by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, an English poet, literary critic, philosopher and theologian.
  
  
• The written monument of Coleridge’s critical work is contained in 24 chapters of Biographia Literaria (1815–17)
  
  
• It was published in the year 1817 in two volumes.
  
  
• "Autobiographia Literaria" was it's temporary title.
  
  
• Coleridge originally wanted "Biographia Literaria" to be a short preface to a collection of his poems, Sibylline Leaves (1817).
  
  
• Biographia Literaria contains the first instance of the phrase ‘suspension of disbelief’.
  
  
• It was the most important work of literary criticism of the English Romantic period, combining philosophy and literary criticism.
  
  
• The book contains Coleridge's celebrated and vexed distinction between "imagination" and "fancy".
  
  
• In Chapter XIV of Biographia Literaria, Coleridge's view on nature and function of poetry is discussed in philosophical terms.
  
  
• Coleridge himself described Biographia Literaria as an 'immethodical miscellany' of 'life and opinions'.
  
  
• Coleridge distinguishes a poem from poetry in his "Biographia Literaria".
  
  
• "Biographia Literaria", is also called as "Biographia Literaria"; or "Biographical Sketches of My Literary Life and Opinions".
  
  
• The first volume of the book recounts the author’s friendship with poets Robert Southey and William Wordsworth.
  
  
• The first volume is mainly concerned with the evolution of his philosophic views.
  
  
• In the second volume Coleridge concentrates on literary criticism and proposes theories about the creative process and the historical sources of the elements of poetry.
  
  
• Samuel Taylor Coleridge divides imagination into two parts: the primary and secondary imagination.
  
  
• Its subtitle, 'Biographical Sketches of My Literary Life and Opinions', alludes to The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman by Laurence Sterne.
  
  
• The later chapters of the book deal with the nature of poetry and with the question of diction raised by Wordsworth.
  
  
• Coleridge reminisces about his days in secondary school at Christ’s Hospital.
  
  
• In Chapters 5 to 7 Coleridge critiques David Hartley’s ideas about associational psychology. 
  
  
• In Chapter 8 Coleridge entertains but interrogates Cartesian dualism.
  
  
• He gives examples of failures in Wordsworth but proclaims that Wordsworth is capable of writing “the first genuine philosophic poem”.
  
  
• Coleridge recounts his tour of Germany in epistolary form in a chapter entitled “Satyrane’s Letters.”.
  
  
• Biographia Literaria is concerned with the form of poetry, the genius of the poet and the relationship to philosophy.
  
  
• Coleridge feels that the purpose of poetry is to communicate beauty and pleasure.
  
  

What other works would you like to read next? Let us know in comments down below. Also Read : Lyrical Ballads Important Points To Remember