Introduction

The Biographia Literaria an autobiography in discourse by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, which he published in 1817.
It was one of Coleridge’s main critical studies. In this work, he discussed the elements of writing. The work is
long and seemingly loosely structured, and although there are autobiographical elements, it is not a
straightforward autobiography. Although the work is not written from Coleridge’s poetic mind, it is still written
with the qualities and rhythm of the poetic. Through this discussion, he makes many value judgments, leaving his
audience with a clear understand of his stance on certain issues. Some of the issues he tackles include politics,
religion, social values, and human identity. He expresses his own thoughts from a personal viewpoint.
Imagination
Imagination in its real sense denotes the working of poetic minds upon external objects or objects visible to the
eyes. Imaginative process sometimes adds additional properties to an object or sometimes abstracts from it some
of its properties. Therefore, imagination thus transforms the object into something new. It modifies and even
creates new objects.
According to Coleridge, imagination has two types: Primary and Secondary.
• According to him the primary imagination is “the living power and prime agent of all human perception”.
Primary is perceiving the impressions of the outer world through the senses. It is a spontaneous act of the human
mind, the image so formed of the outside world unconsciously and involuntarily. It is universal and is possessed
by all.
• According to him the secondary imagination is the poetic vision, the faculty that a poet has “to idealize and
unify”. It is an echo of the former, co-existing with the conscious will. It works upon the raw materials that are
sensations and impressions supplied the primary imagination. It is the secondary imagination which makes any
artistic creation possible and root of all poetic activity. It is considered as shaping and modifying power.
Coleridge calls secondary imagination a magical power; it fuses various faculties of human soul- will, emotion,
intellect, perception. It fuses internal and external, the subjective and objective.
The primary and the secondary imaginations do not differ from each other in kind. The difference between them is
one of degree. The secondary imagination is more active, more conscious than the primary one. The primary
imagination is universal while secondary is a peculiar privilege enjoyed by the artist.
The significance of the Imagination for Coleridge was that it represented the sole faculty within man that was able
to achieve the romantic ambition of reuniting the subject and the object; the world of the self and the world of
nature. For him, the most important aspect of the imagination was that it was active to the highest degree.
Fancy
Coleridge regards fancy to be the inferior to imagination. It is according to him a creative power. It only combines
different things into different shapes, not like imagination to fuse them into one. According to him, it is the
process of “bringing together images dissimilar in the main, by source”. It has no other counters to play with, but
fixities and definites. Fancy, in Coleridge’s eyes was employed for tasks that were “passive” and “mechanical”.
The distinction between Fancy and the Imagination
The distinction made by Coleridge between Fancy and the Imagination rested on the fact that fancy was concerned
with the mechanical operations of the mind while imagination on the other hand is described the mysterious
power. “The Primary Imagination” was for Coleridge, the “necessary imagination” as it makes images and
impressions of what it receives through the senses. It represents man’s ability to learn from nature. The over
arching property of the primary imagination was that it was common to all people. Whereas “The Secondary
imagination” on the other hand, represents a superior faculty which could only be associated with artistic genius.
A key and defining attribute of the secondary imagination was a free and deliberate will.
Thus imagination creates new shapes and forms of beauty by fusing and unifying the different impressions it
receives from the external world. Whereas Fancy is a kind of memory; it randomly brings together images, and
even when brought together, they continue to retain their separate individual properties.
Conclusion
Critics have reacted strongly to the Biographia Literaria. But Coleridge delivers the Biographia Literaria without a
second thought of whether or not there will be any disagreement from his audience. He does not cater to one
audience; he just expresses his thoughts.
Coleridge owned his interest in study of theory of imagination. He is the first critic to study the nature of
imagination and examine its role in creative activity. While most of the critics use Fancy and imagination almost
as synonyms, Coleridge is the first critic to distinguish between them and define their respective roles. He
distinguishes between primary and secondary imagination. Coleridge’s treatment of the subject is characterized by
greater depth, penetration and philosophical subtlety. It is his unique contribution to the literary theory.
The creative endowments, fancy, derived from the Greek word ‘Phantasia’ , and imagination, from the Latin
‘imagination’, have received various meaning in different literary periods. In eighteenth century literary theory,
imagination and fancy was regarded as a mode of memory. Hobbes defined imagination as “nothing but decaying
sense” and concluded that, ” imagination and fancy are but one thing, which for diver’s consideration have divers
meaning,” During renaissance period fancy was meant , ‘the less responsible king of imagination.’ Surprisingly ,
the 18 the century no-classical writers accorded fancy ‘the role or reference to a more creative mental power.’ On
the other hand, Wordsworth in his preface ‘to the poems of 1815’ offers an illuminating idea on the functions of
fancy and imagination detailing the former as a ‘capricious’ and ‘evanescent’ creative power.

In opposition to these theories Coleridge developed his theory of imagination.  In chapter four of ‘Biographia
literaria ‘, Coleridge tells that fancy and imagination are not two names with one meaning or the lower and higher
degree of the one and the same power but are two distinct and widely different faculties.

In chapter thirteen of Biographia Coleridge introduces the distinction between two kind of imagination- primary
and secondary .

Primary Imagination :-  It is the faculty by which we perceive the world around us. It is merely the power of
receiving impressions of the external through our senses. It perceives objects both in their parts and as a whole. It
is an involuntary act of the mind. The human mind receives impressions and sensation from the outside world,
unconsciously and involuntarily it imposes some sort of order on those impressions, reduces them to size and
shape, so that the mind is able to form a clear image of the outside world. It is in this way that clear and coherent
perception becomes possible. Coleridge describes primary imagination as the “mysterious power” which can
extract “hidden ideas and meanings” from objective data.
Secondary Imagination :- The primary imagination is universal and possessed by all. The secondary imagination
makes artistic creation possible. It requires an effort of the will and conscious effort.  It works upon what is
perceived by the primary imagination ; it’s raw materials are the sensations and impressions supplied to it by the
primary imagination.  It selects and orders the raw materials and reshapes and remodels it into objects of beauty. It
is ‘ensemplastic’ , and it ‘dissolves, diffuses and dissipates, in order to create.’ The secondary imagination is at the
root of all poetic activity. It is the power which reveals itself in the balance or reconciliation of opposite and
discordant qualities  and Coleridge calls it a magical synthetic power. It fuses the various faculties of the soul ,
subjective with objective, the human mind with external nature, the spiritual with the physical or material.
The primary and secondary imagination do not differ from each other in kind . The difference is only of degree.
The secondary imagination is more active, more conscious and more voluntary than the primary one.

Fancy :- Imagination and fancy differ in kind and nature. Whereas, imagination is creative, fancy, which is
common possession of man, is not creative. It is a mechanical process which receives the elementary images
which come to it ready made and without altering these, fancy reassembles them into a different order from that in
which it was received.  It only combined what it perceives into beautiful shapes, but does not fuse or unify. It is a
kind of memory that arbitrarily brings together images, and even when brought together , these images continue to
retain their separate and individual properties. They receive no coloring or modification from the mind.
Coleridge has called fancy the ‘aggregative and associative power’. However Wordsworth argued that , ” to
aggregate and to associate, to evoke and to combine, belong as well to imagination as to the fancy.” But Coleridge
explained that aggregating or collecting is beneath the dignity of imagination because it not necessarily an act of
uniting. The materials have to be assembled before imagination can get to work and make the transformation and
synthesis. Fancy has to do this act of collecting and so fancy presupposes imagination.

The “Biographia Literaria (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biographia_Literaria)”, a life account in talk by Samuel

Taylor Coleridge (1774- 1832), which he published in 1817. It was one of Coleridge’s principle basic
investigations. Through this conversation, he makes many worth decisions, leaving his readers with a reasonable
comprehend of his position on specific issues. A portion of the issues he handles incorporate legislative issues,
religion, social qualities, and human personality. He communicates his own musings from an individual
perspective.

To define imagination, we can say- the act or intensity of shaping a psychological picture of something not
present to the senses or at no other time entirely apparent in reality. According to Coleridge, imagination has a
couple of types: Primary and Secondary. On the other hand, fancy is to be sure no other than a method of
memory liberated structure the request for existence. Almost in all of his writing, Coleridge boldly presents
imagination and fancy. Coleridge mentions Milton for instance of an imaginative mind and Cowley as an
example of a fanciful one.
The Living Power
As indicated by him, the primary imagination is “the living power and prime agent of all human
perception”. Essential is seeing the impressions of the external world through the senses. It is an unreserved
demonstration of the human psyche, the picture as framed of the outside world unknowingly and automatically.
It is general and is controlled by all.
The Poetic Vision

As per Coleridge, the secondary imagination is the wonderful vision, the workforce that a writer has “to idealize
and unify”. It is an echo of the previous, co-existing with the cognizant will. It works upon the crude materials that
are sensations and impressions provided the essential creative mind. It is the optional creative mind which makes
any aesthetic creation understandable and base of all poetic movement. It is considered as molding and
adjusting power.

The Enchanting Power Of Imagination

Coleridge considers the secondary imagination an magical force; it wires different resources of human spirit
will, feeling, vigour, recognition. It wires inside and outside, the subjective and objective.

Fancy As The Subordinate To Imagination

Coleridge respects fancy to be the inferior compared to imagination. It is as per him an inventive force. It just
consolidates various things into various, dislike imagination to engage them into one.

Collaborating Process
As indicated by him, it is the way toward “bringing together images dissimilar in the main, by source”. It has no
different counters to play with, however fixities and definites. Extravagant, in Coleridge’s eyes was utilized for
undertakings that were “passive” and “mechanical”.
The Distinction Between Fancy And The Imagination
The differentiation made by Coleridge among Fancy and the Imagination laid on the way that extravagant was
worried about the mechanical tasks of the brain while creative mind then again is portrayed the secretive force.
“The Primary Imagination” was for Coleridge, the “necessary imagination” as it establish pictures and
connections of what it gets through the faculties.

In this manner, imagination makes new shapes and types of magnificence by melding and binding together the
various impressions it gets from the outside world. Though Fancy is a sort of memory; it arbitrarily unites
pictures, and in any event, when united, they keep on holding their different individual properties