Coleridge’s View on Fancy and Imagination
Biographia Literaria is a notable literary work by Samuel Taylor Coleridge. A complete discussion of this literary work is given, which will help you enhance your literary skills and prepare for the exam. Read the Main texts, Key info, Summary, Themes, Characters, Literary devices, Quotations, Notes, to various questions of Biographia Literaria.
Answer
Coleridge’s view on Fancy and Imagination. Or What is Fancy and Imagination?
In “Biographia Literaria,” (1817) Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834) discusses the concepts of Fancy and Imagination and explores their roles in the creative process. Now, we will explore the discussion of Coleridge’s ideas on Fancy and Imagination.
Fancy: According to Coleridge, Fancy is the faculty that deals with forming images or mental representations. It is associated with the external world and relies on sensory perception and memory. Fancy combines manipulates, and rearranges familiar images without any deeper meaning or significance. Coleridge describes Fancy as follows:
Fancy is indeed no other than a mode of memory emancipated from the order of time and space.
Coleridge suggests that Fancy is grounded in the external world and draws inspiration from sensory experiences. It is rooted in the physical realm and relies on the accumulation of sensory data.
Imagination: Coleridge views Imagination as a higher faculty compared to Fancy. It goes beyond mere sensory impressions and engages with the deeper realms of the mind. Imagination is the power of unifying and transforming the elements provided by Fancy into new and original creations. It has a more profound and symbolic nature. Imagination is a creative force that transcends the limitations of sensory perception.
Relationship with Reality: Coleridge describes Fancy as confined to appearances. It deals with superficial aspects and surface-level resemblances. Fancy tends to represent things as they appear without attempting to explore deeper meanings or truths. On the other hand, Coleridge considers Imagination as a means of perceiving deeper truths and hidden realities. It can penetrate beneath the surface and discover profound insights. Imagination seeks to reveal the essential nature of things and their symbolic or metaphysical significance. Coleridge writes:
Imagination then, I consider either as primary, or secondary.
In termination, In “Biographia Literaria,” Coleridge’s exploration of Fancy and Imagination provides valuable insights into the creative process and the role of these faculties in literary composition.