Question

Which of the following statements are correct in the context of Coleridge's understanding of the terms 'Fancy' and 'Imagination'?
(A). Fancy is a mechanical faculty of the human mind.
(B). Imagination is an organic faculty of the human mind that dissolves dialectical oppositions.
(C). Fancy is Mimetic, and Imagination is creative.
(D). Fancy is the real poetic creativity.
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:

• A. (A), (B) and (D) only
• B. (A), (B) and (C) only
• C. (A), (B), (C) and (D)
• D. (B), (C) and (D) only

Hint:

To remember Coleridge's distinction, use this simple analogy: Fancy is like a mosaic artist who arranges pre-existing tiles into a new pattern. Imagination is like a painter who mixes colours to create entirely new shades and forms a unified, organic image.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is B

Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
This question refers to Samuel Taylor Coleridge's famous distinction between Fancy and Imagination, a cornerstone of Romantic literary theory, detailed in his work Biographia Literaria. Coleridge elevated Imagination as a superior, creative power, while describing Fancy as a lesser, more mechanical faculty.

Step 2: Detailed Explanation:
Let's analyze each statement based on Coleridge's theory:
\[\begin{array}{rl} \bullet & \text{(A) Fancy is a mechanical faculty of the human mind. This is correct. Coleridge described Fancy as a "mode of Memory emancipated from the order of time and space," which merely reassembles and combines existing sensory images in a mechanical way. } \\ \bullet & \text{(B) Imagination is an organic faculty of the human mind that dissolves dialectical oppositions. This is correct. Coleridge praised the "secondary Imagination" as an "esemplastic" power that "dissolves, diffuses, dissipates, in order to re-create." It is an organic faculty that synthesizes opposites (like the general and the concrete, the idea and the image) into a new whole. } \\ \bullet & \text{(C) Fancy is Mimetic, and Imagination is creative. This is a valid interpretation of Coleridge's view. Fancy works with "fixities and definites," re-presenting them in new combinations (mimetic in function), whereas Imagination is truly creative, modifying and shaping images into something new and unified. } \\ \bullet & \text{(D) Fancy is the real poetic creativity. This is incorrect. Coleridge explicitly argued that Imagination, not Fancy, is the "soul of all poetic genius" and the true source of poetic creativity. } \\ \end{array}\] Therefore, statements (A), (B), and (C) are correct.

Step 3: Final Answer:
The correct option is (B), which includes (A), (B), and (C) only.