Richard Harter Fogle – författare

The Idea of Coleridge's Criticism explores the profound, often polarizing legacy of Samuel Taylor Coleridge as a literary critic, whose influence continues to resonate in modern thought. This study examines the richness and complexity of Coleridge's critical theories, particularly his groundbreaking ideas on imagination, organic unity, and the interplay between form and content in poetry. It navigates the spectrum of scholarly opinions, from skepticism over his philosophical debts to the Germans to admiration for his psychological insights and practical criticism. By analyzing his contributions within the broader context of Romanticism and Western criticism, this book emphasizes Coleridge's role as a thinker who unified poetic theory, philosophy, and literary practice in ways that shaped generations of critical discourse.With a focus on the inherent unity of Coleridge's critical vision, the book contends that his theories extend beyond the fragmentary and eclectic criticisms often attributed to him. It delves into his synthesis of Romantic idealism and systematic analysis, showcasing his ability to reconcile opposites—subject and object, imagination and reason—within an organic framework. Highlighting his enduring relevance, the book underscores how Coleridge's belief in the logic and value of imaginative language provided a compelling defense against the encroachment of scientific positivism in literature. Ultimately, this study positions Coleridge not only as a Romantic theorist or pioneer of depth psychology but as a towering figure whose critical insights retain permanent significance for literary interpretation and appreciation.This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1962.

The Idea of Coleridge's Criticism explores the profound, often polarizing legacy of Samuel Taylor Coleridge as a literary critic, whose influence continues to resonate in modern thought. This study examines the richness and complexity of Coleridge's critical theories, particularly his groundbreaking ideas on imagination, organic unity, and the interplay between form and content in poetry. It navigates the spectrum of scholarly opinions, from skepticism over his philosophical debts to the Germans to admiration for his psychological insights and practical criticism. By analyzing his contributions within the broader context of Romanticism and Western criticism, this book emphasizes Coleridge's role as a thinker who unified poetic theory, philosophy, and literary practice in ways that shaped generations of critical discourse.With a focus on the inherent unity of Coleridge's critical vision, the book contends that his theories extend beyond the fragmentary and eclectic criticisms often attributed to him. It delves into his synthesis of Romantic idealism and systematic analysis, showcasing his ability to reconcile opposites—subject and object, imagination and reason—within an organic framework. Highlighting his enduring relevance, the book underscores how Coleridge's belief in the logic and value of imaginative language provided a compelling defense against the encroachment of scientific positivism in literature. Ultimately, this study positions Coleridge not only as a Romantic theorist or pioneer of depth psychology but as a towering figure whose critical insights retain permanent significance for literary interpretation and appreciation.This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1962.

Although the shadow of the great white whale, Moby Dick, looms perpetually large in nineteenth-century literature, Herman Melville's shorter tales have often been slighted by critics and readers alike. Those lesser shapes of the San Dominick, Bannadonna's bell tower, and the great Rock Rodondo of the Enchanted Islands have been seen only dimly through mists of neglect.               Richard Harter Fogle provides an accurate and rounded discussion of these relatively neglected Melville stories. His approach is broadly literary - expounding Melville's ideas as they exist in the context of the stories themselves and illuminating their connections with Melville's total work.               The quality of the tales is uneven: they vary from ""Benito Cereno,"" ""Bartleby,"" and ""The Encantadas,"" which are recognized as world masterpieces, to imperfect sketches like ""The Lightning-Rod Man"" and ""The Happy Failure."" Yet all are serious investigations of meaning, informed by Melville's brooding and contemplative intelligence.               Avoiding psychoanalytic and ""mythical"" criticism, Fogle develops a genuine concern for Melville's own broad and nontechnical ethic, psychology, and metaphysic as woven into the fabric of his fiction. Melville is always, Fogle says, the seeker of knowledge ""pitted against a finally inscrutable reality."" Perhaps borrowing from the courage of his subject, Fogle approaches Melville's mysterious and perplexing world with confidence in his essential greatness - as an author and a man.