S T Coleridge - Language of Poetry

He says that poetry is a metrical composition. It must have its difference with
prose. The language of prose and poetry cannot be identical. Coleridge believes
that there must be an essential difference between the language of prose and poetry.
Coleridge argues that everyone's language varies according to the extent of his
knowledge, the activities of his faculties and the depth and quickness of his
feelings.

the language of poetry is A selection of the real language of men or the very
language of men, and there was no essential difference between the language of
prose and that of poetry. Coleridge retorts that ‘Every man’s language’ varies
according to the extent of his knowledge, the activity of his faculties, and the depth
or quickness of his feelings. Every man’s language has, first, its individual
peculiarities; secondly, the properties common to his class; and thirdly, words and
phrases of universal use. No two men of the same class or of different classes
speak alike, although both use words and phrases common to them all, because in
-the one case their natures are different and on the other their classes are different.
The language varies from person to person, class to class, place to place.

First, language is both a matter and the arrangement of words. Words both in prose
and poetry may be the same but their arrangement is different. This difference
arises from the fact that the poetry uses metre and metre requires a different
arrangement of words. Metre is not a mere superficial decoration, but an essential
organic part of a poem. Even the metaphors and similes used by a poet are different
in quality and frequency from prose. Hence there is bound to be an ‘essential’
difference between the arrangement of words of poetry and prose.

Fancy and imagination

Fancy: Coleridge defined fancy as a lower form of imagination that is based on the
random combination of sensory impressions, memories and associations. Fancy is
a way of creating new images by combining and recombining existing ones. It is a
mechanical process that does not involve any deeper understanding or insight.
Imagination: Coleridge defined imagination as a higher form of creativity that
involves a deeper understanding and insight. It is the ability to create new images,
ideas and concepts based on the understanding of the underlying principles of the
natural world and the human mind. It is an active, creative process that involves the
synthesis of new ideas, rather than the mere combination of existing ones.

Primary imagination: Coleridge defines primary imagination as the innate, active

power of the mind to organize and give life to sensory impressions, memories, and
associations. It is the power that creates new images, ideas, and concepts, and it is
the vital principle of poetry and art. The primary imagination is the power that
organizes and gives life to the fancy, it is the creative power.

Secondary imagination: Coleridge defines secondary imagination as the ability to

reflect on, understand, and manipulate the creations of the primary imagination. It
is the power of the mind to analyze and understand the creations of the primary
imagination. The secondary imagination is the critical power, it is the power that
judges and reflects upon the creations of the primary imagination.