Coleridge+and+the+Biographia+Literaria

__Questions__- Courtney West The two sorts of poems that were subject of the //Lyrical Ballads// are those that contain the events of the supernatural, and those that consist of the events of every day life. The purpose of the supernatural is to bring the imagination that people don’t believe in, out into the real world as if it could actually happen. It is used to express hidden emotions to make the experience seem more real and enable the reader to believe that it could happen. The purpose of including ordinary events is to give a “//charm of novelty//” to every day objects. It is used to give an excited feeling in readers, similar to that found when expressing the idea of the supernatural. Everyday events are used to show the “//loveliness and the wonders of the world//” in order to open up emotions towards these things that usually pass by unnoticed.
 * 1. What two sorts of poems does Coleridge say became the subject of the //Lyrical Ballads//? What seems to be the respective purpose of the two sorts?**

Coleridge’s notions of poetry are that it is used to find the truth. That it must be separated the distinguishable parts of poetry and then put them back together to form a united concept. This is done to understand the different parts of the poem, however they are brought back together as they “//co-exist//” with one another. Coleridge further defines poetry by claiming it has the same elements as prose fiction, however poetry has a different combination. The difference in the object of them poem and how it is proposed (put forward), affects the difference in combination. He believes that poetry should provide pleasure of a high order. He also says that poetry is a “//communication of truths//” and/or a communication of pleasure.
 * 2. Before moving to his points of agreement and disagreement with Wordsworth, Coleridge says that he must give us his notions about poems and poetry. What are these notions? How does Coleridge further define poetry?**

The poet is the ideal of perfection and brings the soul into activity. They blend tone and spirit by a “//magical power//” to create imagination. They understand imagination’s power and hence express the ideas of the unconscious mind to others. They show the how important idealism, individual and imagination is to everyone. Their use of imagery allows “//more than the visual state of emotion//” to be expressed, as well as the harmonisation and combination of the “//natural and artificial//” world. Poets see things that fellow human beings don’t. They act as a guide through their poetry to help others understand.
 * 3. What does the poet do? What comment, in other words, does Coleridge offer about the value of poets to their fellow human beings?**

Imagination is the “//synthetic and magical power//”. Imagination reveals itself by “//will and understanding//”, however it is contained by the unconscious which individuals do not have control over. It reveals itself through the mind and, once seen, is shown to others through poetry.
 * 4. What is the “//synthetic and magical power//”? In what special activity does this power reveal itself?**

The qualities that are balanced or reconciled by imagination include the idea against the image; the representation of the individual; the novelty and freshness versus the idea of old and familiar objects; emotions over order; and the admiration of the poet with the sympathy of poetry.
 * 5. What are some of the “//opposite or discordant qualities//” balanced or reconciled by imagination?**

Scarlett Frankenstein's Answers :) :) **Biographia Literaria Chapter 14; Questions on the Wiki—Scarlett Franks** // 1. What two sorts of poems does Coleridge say became the subject of the Lyrical Ballads? What seems to be the respective purpose of the two sorts? //

Coleridge says the two sorts of poems that comprise the //Lyrical Ballads// are those which include elements of the supernatural, and those which explore subjects in ordinary life. The former’s purpose is to evoke in the audience the suspension of disbelief that accompanies a truthful and eloquent depiction of the human emotions and reactions that would be expected if the circumstances were real. The latter aims to direct the audience to the “wonders of the world before us”—an “inexhaustible treasure”—by drawing attention to everyday delights that are easily taken for granted when the comprise our routines and customs.

// 2. Before moving to his points of agreement and disagreement with Wordsworth, Coleridge says that he must give us his notions about poems and poetry. What are these notions? How does Coleridge further define poetry? //

Coleridge’s notions of poetry and poems include their “peculiar business” of evoking “pleasure” and “interest”. The reader should be provoked to reach the end of the poem by “the pleasurable activity of mind excited by the attractions of the journey itself”, rather than a simple desire to reach the conclusion of the reflections or observations that comprise the poem. Coleridge defines poetry as that which proposes for its “immediate object pleasure, not truth” and is a composition whose separate components and stanzas create interest separately, as well as together as a whole.

// 3. What does the poet do? What comment, in other words, does Coleridge offer about the value of poets to their fellow human beings? //

Coleridge believes it is the duty of the poetic genius to sustain and modify the “images, thoughts and emotions” of their minds and thus bring “the whole soul of man into activity”. The poet does this “by that synthetic and magical power, to which I would exclusively appropriate the name Imagination.” The imagination is triggered when the poet reconciles “discordant qualities”; Coleridge provides examples such as “ the general with the concrete; the idea with the image; the individual with the representative; the sense of novelty and freshness with old and familiar objects”. Coleridge evidently proposes that poetry and the poet offer for the audience immediately: a pleasurable journey that holistically engages their imagination; and, later on: an illumination that may console them of difficulties and discordances in their own lives.

// 4. What is the “synthetic and magical power”? In what special activity does this power reveal itself? //  The “synthetic and magical power” is the Imagination, which reveals itself in the “reconcilement of opposite or discordant qualities”.

// 5. What are some of the “opposite or discordant qualities” balanced or reconciled by imagination? // “A more than usual state of emotion with more than usual order; judgment ever awake and steady self-possession with enthusiasm and feeling profound or vehement; and while it blends and harmonizes the natural and the artificial, still subordinates art to nature; the manner to the matter; and our admiration of the poet to our sympathy with the poetry.”

__**Biographia Literaria Chapter 14 - JACINTHA LEE :D**__ What two sorts of poems does Coleridge say became the subject of the Lyrical Ballads? What seems to be the respective purpose of the two sorts? The first would be the how the events and characters were to contain supernatural elements, or the events of daily life.The former is to incite interest for the reader by containing ideas so far-fetched or supernatural in origin that it is almost unbelievable but yet including enough truth within it by some relation to human experience or an aspect which a reader can relate to in order for a “willing suspension of disbelief” as the reader temporarily believes in the fantasy of the poem. The latter is to use ordinary events but through the addition of the “charm of novelty”, wherein an ordinary or familar event is given a new spin by the poet would provoke a feeling within the reader that would awaken the imagination and allow the reader to discover new perspectives towards familiar occurences.

Before moving to his points of agreement and disagreement with Wordsworth, Coleridge says that he must give us his notions about poems and poetry. What are these notions? How does Coleridge further define poetry? Coleridge believes that poetry should be used to uncover or communicate the truth through the reader being able to separate the different parts of the poem making them distinct to demonstrate absolute facts or fantasy, and then uniting the ideas together into a whole to further one’s comprehension of a concept or poem. Coleridge also defines poetry as something “containing the same elements as a prose composition” except that they contain different combinations of the ideas put forward. He claims that poetry should enable the reader to enable better recollection of facts or observation as through rhyme, metre or both, one can remember the poem. Poetry can also be used to provide pleasure, but that should not be the purpose of a poem, in fact, it should carry the reader forward not by curiousity or a restless desire, but by the “pleasurable activity of the mind excited by the attractions of the journey itself”. he concludes by caliming that the nature of Poetry is a “distinction resulting from poetry genius... [that] sustains and modifies the images, thoughts and emotions of the poet’s own mind” - thus poetry should further the reader and the poet’s own knowledge, enlighten their perspectives, and enable them to learn or discover something that they may not have known or realised before.

What does the poet do? What comment, in other words, does Coleridge offer about the value of poets to their fellow human beings? The poet ideally “brings the whole soul of man into activity”, thus he, through his writing, would enable man to imagine through the propagation of a tone and a spirit of unity that emphasizes the power and importance of the Imagination. The poet’s ability to express ideas about concepts is also important, as it provokes “the sense of novelty and freshness with old and familiar objects”, a composed judgement towards events or situations and arouses a different state of emotion than usual. Through that, the poet would give the reader an emphasis on the combination of “the natural and the artificial” and the supporting ilk of art towards nature. Through a different perspective which the poet has, fellow human beings are able to discover new truths and develop a new view upon situations or events described or proposed within the poem.

What is the “synthetic and magical power”? In what special activity does this power reveal itself?

The “synthetic and magical power” refers to the Imagination. Through the reader or the poet’s binding control of his “will and understanding”, the Imagination reveals the qualities that the poet should suggest to the readers through his poetry. The Imagination’s power is thus revealed through the unveiling of the truths within the unconscious in the poem, with the harmonization of “opposite or discordant qualities”

What are some of the “opposite or discordant qualities balanced or reconciled by imagination? These include a higher state of emotion than order, the novelty or freshness brought to old and familiar objects, and the admiration of the poet provoked by the sympathy of the poetry.

 Marilee **__Questions: __**  The two types of poems are, firstly, consisting of the supernatural. Using the emotions and imaginations of the readers the supernatural will seem real. The second type consisting of the everyday. The idea is to create a meditative mood in which the reader seeks out the ordinary in search for the extraordinary.
 * // 1. What two sorts of poems does Coleridge say became the subject of the Lyrical Ballads? What seems to be the respective purpose of the two sorts?  // **

 ** // 2. Before moving to his points of agreement and disagreement with Wordsworth, Coleridge says that he must give us his notions about poems and poetry. What are these notions? How does Coleridge further define poetry? // **  He believes that poems are merely ‘parts’ of prose that have been recombined differently. It is the use of rhyme and meter that makes the distinction. Repetition of sounds and techniques can also define poetry. Furthermore poetry is set apart as its purpose is ‘pleasure’ and it ‘produces’ it in every line and technique rather than only delivering as a final product.

 The poet ‘brings the whole soul of man into activity’. That is it allows all parts of man (mind, body, spirit) to work as a whole.
 * // 3. What does the poet do? What comment, in other words, does Coleridge offer about the value of poets to their fellow human beings? // **


 * // 4. What is the “synthetic and magical power”? In what special activity does this power reveal itself? // **

 The “synthetic and magical power” is the imagination. This is revealed in a (understanding of) balance of opposites. Such as the “general with the concrete” or “sameness with difference”.

 <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; font-size: 11.5pt;">Some examples include: the idea with the image, the individual with the representative, novelty and the familiar etc.
 * // <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'; font-size: 11.5pt;">5. What are some of the “opposite or discordant qualities” balanced or reconciled by imagination? // **