ancy' and 'Imagination' with reference to “Biographia Literaria.”
In “Biographia Literaria” (1817), Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834) explains two important ideas: fancy and imagination. He says that these two powers help us create and understand poetry. But they are very different. Fancy is simple and mechanical. It just copies existing things. But imagination is deep and creative. It helps a man to create something new. Coleridge believed that imagination is the true soul of poetry. He also divides imagination into two types. Let us study this concept clearly.
Imagination as a Creative Power: Coleridge says that imagination is the most essential part of poetry. It is powerful and creative. It helps poets mix many thoughts and images into one strong feeling or idea. This power helps us feel beauty and truth in poetry. Imagination gives order to our thoughts. It makes something new and meaningful. Coleridge uses a special word for it: esemplastic. This means shaping different things into one whole. So, imagination is not just copying. It is creating something new. In the following writing, we will examine its two special variants. The importance of imagination in poetry is present in the following quotation.
“Finally, a good sense is the body of poetic genius, fancy is drapery, motion its life and imagination the soul, that is everywhere and in each.”
In this line from Chapter 14, the writer shows the role of both fancy and imagination in poetry.
Primary Imagination: Primary imagination is the natural power of all human beings. Everyone uses it, not only poets. It helps us to understand the world around us. It is automatic and works without thinking. It is an unconscious part of the mind. It brings infinite things to finite and order to chaos. It also functions as raw materials for the secondary imagination. It is compared to a physical change, like water into ice. The following quote perfectly defines primary imagination.
“The primary Imagination I hold to be the living Power and prime Agent of all human Perception, and as a repetition in the finite mind of the eternal act of creation in the infinite I Am.”
Secondary Imagination: Secondary imagination is more special. It is the creative power of poets and artists. This imagination is used with will and purpose. It changes the ideas from the primary imagination into something more powerful. This power is used when a poet writes a poem or an artist creates a painting. Coleridge says this imagination is like a chemical process. It does not just copy but creates something new and full of feeling. A poet modifies the raw ideas and objects of primary imagination. Then, he makes a refined and mature one due to the power of secondary imagination. The author explains it in the following way:
“It dissolves, diffuses, dissipates, in order to recreate; or where this process is rendered impossible, yet still, at all events, it struggles to idealize and to unify.”
Fancy is lower than imagination: Coleridge says fancy is different from imagination. Fancy only collects and stores old ideas. It does not make anything new. It is like a machine that cuts and pastes things. It may be helpful in writing simple poems or stories. Coleridge calls it a lower power. Only imagination can touch the heart and make real poetry.
In conclusion, Coleridge’s ideas of fancy and imagination are very important in English literature. He showed that imagination is the true spirit of poetry. It gives life, shape, and beauty to simple ideas. On the other hand, fancy is not strong enough to do that. It just arranges things without creating anything new. Coleridge has divided imagination to help readers understand how poets think and create. His ideas still guide students, poets, and critics today.
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