Abstract
This essay brings Samuel Taylor Coleridge's critical writing into dialogue with his theological thought in order to argue for a latent theory of engaged but critical reception of dramatic performance in Coleridge's famous phrase willing suspension of disbelief for the moment, which constitutes faith from Book XIV of the Biographia Literaria. However, the politics and social strife surrounding the romantic stage render Coleridge's theoretical position vexed and ambivalent. After suggesting that poetic faith allows for a deep encounter with a work of art that can potentially reach across ideological divides without surrendering the capacity for intervention and social critique, the essay examines how Coleridge's anxiety over his own past and politics cause him to fail in implementing this new critical theory in his embittered review of Charles Robert Maturin's Bertram.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.