Coleridge’s Borrowing Shaped English Romanticism

Literary critic Christopher Domínguez Michael examines the work of Samuel Taylor Coleridge, arguing that the poet’s extensive borrowing from other thinkers profoundly impacted English Romanticism. George Saintsbury, in a now rarely read work, placed Coleridge among the three greatest literary critics of all time alongside Aristotle and Longino.

Later, René Wellek detailed Coleridge’s frequent plagiarism of figures like Kant and Schelling, found throughout his Biographia literaria. However, Wellek also conceded that Coleridge’s “theft” of German philosophy illuminated the English Romantic movement.

The author skillfully integrated borrowed ideas, making them appear original and shaping modern poetic theory. Domínguez Michael notes that despite accusations of plagiarism, Coleridge’s work remains influential, even surpassing the recognition of the philosophers he drew from.

The essay explores the complex relationship between Coleridge’s creative genius and his reliance on others, framing him as a “divine ventriloquist” who spoke through the voices of those he borrowed from. Ultimately, the piece suggests that Biographia literaria is a vital work, a blend of theory, moral experience, and a candid account of his complicated relationship with William Wordsworth.