The central thread of the book is Coleridge’s life-long search—in Professor Willey’s words, “for a mind not passive but active; a will not frozen in necessity, but free and responsible; an Imagination not decorative but creative in the highest sense; and a God not identified or confused with Nature, but at once transcendent and redemptive.” Basil Willey’s rich understanding of Coleridge, and his lucid analysis of the complex philosophical issues in his work, will make this book invaluable to readers interested in English intellectual history.

The central thread of the book is Coleridge’s life-long search—in Professor Willey’s words, “for a mind not passive but active; a will not frozen in necessity, but free and responsible; an Imagination not decorative but creative in the highest sense; and a God not identified or confused with Nature, but at once transcendent and redemptive.” Basil Willey’s rich understanding of Coleridge, and his lucid analysis of the complex philosophical issues in his work, will make this book invaluable to readers interested in English intellectual history.