"To evaluate my assignment, click here" http://goo.gl/forms/
Topic: Critically evaluation of
Biographia Literaria ch -14.
Name : Kishan Hariyani
Semester : 01
Roll No : 21
Paper No : 3
Enrolment No: 15101021
Email ID :
kishanhariyani1992@gmail.com
Year : 2015-17
Submitted To: Department Of English
Maharaja Krishnakumarsinhji Bhavnagar University
Ø Introduction
The written monument of colerige’s critical work is contained in 24 chapters of Biographia literaria (1815-17). In this critical work Coleridge concerns himself only not only with the practice of criticism, but also with its theory. In his practical approach to criticism we get the glimpse of Coleridge the poet; Whereas in theoretical discussion, Coleridge the philosopher came to the centre stage .in chapter 14 of Biographia Literaria, Coleridge’s view on nature and function of poetry is discussion, in philosophical terms The poet within Coleridge discusses the difference between poetry and prose,and the immediate function of poetry.
Explanation of Coleridge’s view in
ch.14Biographic Literaria:-
Coleridge begins this chapter with his views on two cardinal points of
poetry.
Ø Two
cardinal points of poetry :
·
The
power of exciting the sympathy of the reader by a faithful adherence to the
truth of Nature, and……..
·
The
power of giving the interest of novelty by modifying with the colors of
imagination.
According to him, it was decided
that words worth would write poetry dealing with the theme of first cardinal
point and the other was to be dealt by him. For the first type of poetry, the
treatment and subject matter should be, to quote Coleridge,
In first point
about poetry, Coleridge tries to say that a poet write a poem related to nature
in very simple form and style. Any people can read and enjoy poetry. So who
poet is devoted and loyal to the nature and has power to moving reader’s heart
and mind towards the nature is writing this type of poetry and it was decided
and by him that William Wordsworth would write poetry dealing with the theme
according to first basic point and that type of poem is very near and realistic
to the nature and ability to leads out the people near the nature. He quoted
that:
“The sudden charm, which accidents of light and shade, which moon-light
or sunset diffused over a known and familiar landscape, appeared to represent
the practicability of combining both. These are the poetry of nature.”
In this type of poems subjects are very common and taken from and chosen
from day to day life and very ordinary life. The characters of this type of
poems are very general and ordinary and we can easily find out this type of
characters in each village.
In second point about poetry, Coleridge drags
our attention towards supernatural elements and the events. And he also said
that he use to write poems, related with this second cardinal point. He quoted
that:
“The excellence aimed at was to consist in the interesting of the
affections by the dramatic truth of such emotions, as would naturally accompany
such situations, supposing them real. And real in this sense they have been to
every human being who, from whatever source of delusion, has at any time
believed himself under supernatural agency.”
And he talks about supernatural elements, too. He said that poet convert
poetry and atmosphere of poetry with the help of his self-imagination and with
mind’s eyes poet can turn all natural things into supernatural. Poet can create
an imaginative world with his thoughts. After describing both these types of
poetry Coleridge gave example to prove his point. ‘The Lyrical
Ballads’-volume of poems written by Coleridge and Wordsworth in collaboration
-deals with these two core points. Wordsworth quoted that:
“Was to give the charm of novelty to things of every day, by awakening
the mind’s attention from the lethargy of custom, and directing it to the
loveliness and the wonders of the world before us.”
Ø Coleridge’s
Views on Wordsworth’s Poetic Creed:
Coleridge himself not agrees with Wordsworth’s views on poetic diction. And so
his different point of view about poetic faith he gives in ‘Biographia
Literaria’. Wordsworth adopted language of day to day life in poetry in
‘Lyrical Ballads’. And even in preface Wordsworth giving strong and powerful
criticism on using of common language in poetry. Coleridge’s view is differs
with him and so in his point of view’s defense he wrote:
“Had Mr. Wordsworth's poems been the silly, the childish things, which
they were for a long time described as being had they been really distinguished
from the compositions of other poets merely by meanness of language and inanity
of thought; had they indeed contained nothing more than what is found in the
parodies and pretended imitations of them; they must have sunk at once, a dead
weight, into the slough of oblivion, and have dragged the preface along with
them.”
He thinks that if these poems go through criticism then they will be
criticized negatively by Critics. Preface is also criticized because of its
simple language and simple formation. But it is not happened and Wordsworth’s
views were accepted by Critics. So he gives full credit to the genius of
Wordsworth and quoted that:
“With many parts of this preface in the sense attributed to them and
which the words undoubtedly seem to authorize, I never concurred; but on the
contrary objected to them as erroneous in principle, and as contradictory (in
appearance at least) both to other parts of the same preface, and to the
author's own practice in the greater part of the poems themselves. Mr.
Wordsworth in his recent collection has, I find, degraded this prefatory
disquisition to the end of his second volume, to be read or not at the reader's
choice.”
Here we can say that Coleridge is frank and
straight forward to point out his own views even if he differs with Wordsworth
and he was saying that Wordsworth is wrong in theory and contradictory, not
only in parts of the Preface but also to the practice of the poet himself in
many of his points. He opposed with Wordsworth’s analysis of poetry so he told
him honestly that he is not agree or in favor of his point of views.
Ø Difference
Between Prose and Poem:
This is third part or we can say it a point of Coleridge’s ‘Biographia
Literaria’. We can easily recognize that the poem includes the same elements as
prose compositions. So it is bit difficult to differentiate poem and prose but
the difference is between combination of those elements and objects aimed at in
both the composition. So they both are different in their particular aim for
which they are written by poet. For it Coleridge says:
“While it is the privilege of the philosopher to preserve himself
constantly aware, that distinction is not division. In order to obtain adequate
notions of any truth, we must intellectually separate its distinguishable
parts; and this is the technical process of philosophy. But having so done, we
must then restore them in our conceptions to the unity, in which they actually
co-exist; and this is the result of philosophy. A poem contains the same
elements as a prose composition; the difference therefore must consist in a
different combination of them, in consequence of a different object being
proposed. According to the difference of the object will be the difference of
the combination.”
If we differentiate poem and poetry in very
simple way then we can say that which object’s subject is very simple, and main
rezone to write an object is just to remember all olden facts and memories with
inner flow of feelings without taking extra care of rhyme or meter that
composition is known as poem. A poet should make use of artificial words and
arrangement words with the help of meter. It can be done without rhyme or meter
sometimes.
“A poem contains the same elements as a prose composition; the
difference therefore must consist in a different combination of them, in
consequence of a different object being proposed. According to the difference
of the object will be the difference of the combination. It is possible, that
the object may be merely to facilitate the recollection of any given facts or
observations by artificial arrangement; and the composition will be a poem,
merely because it is distinguished from prose by metre, or by rhyme, or by both
conjointly.”
As an example here I gave two lines of poem, which contains name
of months and days. It is without any rhyme or metre:
“Thirty days hath September,
April, June, and November, &c.”
But in prose composition is done by metre or
rhyme and it is compulsory and it is the main difference which is
differentiating an object in prose or poem. Then Coleridge makes an addition
that only rhyme and metre cannot create a poem or poetry. Then he talks about
some other prose writings and its instant purpose and final end. A form of
literary work named prose; poem and poetry are required and written for instant
purpose and the final truth because it can be written for any subject like
science, fiction, novel, romance and etc. And it has to convey some information
to the reader or give pleasure or delight in at a moment and the final end may
be to give truth. So the most important thing about work is to give immediate
pleasure and delight to the reader not metrically composed. After this
discussion Coleridge himself raises the question that:
“Would then the mere super addition of metre, with or without rhyme,
entitle these to the name of poems?”
Then he himself gives answer of it with
saying that if metre is wonderfully added the other parts of composition that
also must suite and match with it. And if every part of composition like,
metre, diction, topic, subject, theme, background, and rhyme must be harmonize
with wholeness with the composition and then and then that composition can take
form of poem or deserve the name of poem. In Coleridge’s words:
“The answer is, that nothing can permanently please, which does not
contain in itself the reason why it is so, and not otherwise. If metre be
superadded, all other parts must be made consonant with it. They must be such,
as to justify the perpetual and distinct attention to each part, which an exact
correspondent recurrence of accent and sound are calculated to excite. The
final definition then, so deduced, may be thus worded. A poem is that species
of composition, which is opposed to works of science, by proposing for its
immediate object pleasure, not truth; and from all other species--(having this
object in common with it)--it is discriminated by proposing to itself such
delight from the whole, as is compatible with a distinct gratification from
each component part.”
Ø Difference
between Poem and Poetry:
In the last point Coleridge gives arguments about poem and Poetry and he
also points out that
“Poetry of the highest kind may exist without metre and even without
contradistinguishing object of Poetry”
And he gives
example of Plato, Jeremy Taylor and Bible. The quality of that prose in these
writing is equal to that of high poetry. Coleridge also said that the poem of and
length neither can be nor ought to be all poetry.
Ø Conclusion:
Here we finds that as poet and
critic Samuel Taylore Coleridge has written a theory which was
‘Biographia Literaria’. And it contains 24 chapters and we have learned only
14th chapter but we can see that how Coleridge has divided the things
like prose, poems and poetry.
Thus Coleridge is the first English critic
who based his literary criticism on philosophical principles .we may say in his
own words ,Coleridge establish the principles of writing rather than to furnish
rules about how to pass judgment on what had been written by others.
"To evaluate my assignment, click here" - and link this with http://goo.gl/forms/
"To evaluate my assignment, click here" - and link this with http://goo.gl/forms/
No comments:
Post a Comment