Biographia Literaria, like many works of the romantic period, frustrates attempts at generic classification. A two-volume prose work of considerable intellectual range and ambition, it combines Coleridge’s ideas on theology, philosophy, literary theory, the nature of the imagination and poetic genius with practical criticism and personal reminiscence. Written between April and September 1815, it marks a difficult period in Coleridge’s life, as he struggled to overcome his addiction to opium and bouts of suicidal depression. This turmoil partially explains the digressive and patchwork topography of Biographia, the composition of which began as a form of literary convalescence (Coleridge dictated much of it to his friend John Morgan). Originally, Coleridge conceived the work as a preface to his collection of poems, Sybylline Leaves (1817), and as a reply to William Wordsworth’s preface to his own 1815...
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Citation: Milnes, Tim. "Biographia Literaria". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 16 September 2011 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=6312, accessed 09 June 2026.]
