On The Principles of Genial Criticism by Samuel T. Coleridge

The essay displays the influence of Kant's Critique of Judgment in it's attempt to distinguish the “beautiful " from the "agreeable" on the one hand and “good” from “beautiful” on the other hand. The discussion recalls Kant's treatment of the beautiful and his idea of purposiveness without purpose.

Agreeable refers to match object with sense. Habit, culture, and prenotion condition Agreeabe. It varies from person to person: but beauty is universal. Agreeable is not necessarily pleasurable, it is sometimes determined by compulsion too. The object that pleases our senses is agreeable. Coleridge uses the world “agreeable” in two senses; the first is that we agree with nature that is derived from our primary senses. In the sentence ‘the tree is green’, our primary senses press is on the greenness of the tree which is naturally agreeable to the eye. The word 'green' express the pre-established harmony between the organs and their appointed objects. The second sense regarding agreeable conveys the idea that someone or something which is pleasing, becomes agreeable by recalling it to our mind. In this sense, the particular thing, which is agreeable or not, depends up on the pleasure and advantages. Coleridge says that something that is useful is good. It is determined by utilitarian aspect. So, good is guided by intellect or reason and will. It is associated with certain value. The pleasure provided by the ‘good’ is an intellectual pleasure. Reason is in operation in the Good. In Good there is the desire and an act of will on the side of the perceiver. The ‘Good’ provokes the intellectual power in us. The will leads us to action and action to rationality. The moment we intellectualize we derive abstraction.

Beauty is multeity in unity. Beauty depends on secondary imagination. Beautiful art is organic not mechanical. Organic art has the relationship between parts and whole. Every part has the relation with another part and all. For example- all the parts of a wheel have relation with center of the wheel that is organic whole. State of beauty is the state of disinterestedness that has no any social purpose but it has aesthetic purpose. To enjoy beautiful, we have to exercise mentally. There is no act of will, no reason, no interest in beauty. Common things become uncommon in “beautiful”. Beautiful does not serve utilitarian purpose, which can be recognized by disinterested contemplation. Beauty can transcend the world of reason value and sense.

Agreeable------ Senscious
Good----------- Intellectual
Beautiful------- Contemplative

The State man’s Manual

Here, Coleridge makes the distinction between allegory and symbol. Allegory is the literary element, which represents abstract notion with the help of concrete thing. It is nothing in itself; it is rather abstraction of sensuous object. Allegory, on the other side is a kind of phantom. In fact, it does not lead us to divinity. It tries to give form to abstract ideas but can't succeed.

Symbol is transparent and particular but represents the general. It moves from particular to general. It moves from particular to general and vice- versa. It transcends spatial and temporal boundary to lead us to the world of reality and divinity. Reality is unintelligible but symbols make it comprehensible. It leads us to organic whole and beauty. So, symbol has higher value than allegory. Symbol works as correspondent between abstract idea and concrete world.

Shakespeare's Judgment equal to his Genius.

The essay is a tribute to Shakespeare who possesses all the qualities and conditions of a true poet. Coleridge tries to unveil some misconceptions popular about Shakespeare by formulating some romantic conceptions. He is a genius who well expressed himself in his dramas and poems. The ideas that he was immoral are totally groundless. The organic form he exposes is true to his genius for it is innate that shapes, as it develops, itself from within, and the fullness of its devolvement is one and the some with the perfection of its outward form. Shakespeare himself is nature methodized.

To be agreeable, objects should be
a) Corresponding to our nature.
b) Pleasing to our senses.
c) Satisfying our habit.

Beautiful is agreeable but not all agreeable is beautiful.