SOURCE: “Literary Work,” in Hartley Coleridge: His Life and Work, University of London Press, 1929, pp. 179-205.

This chapter of Coleridge's biography focuses on both his poetry and prose. Griggs notes that Coleridge's poetry, although it falls short of the genius exhibited by his father, overflows with “human emotion.” The discussion of Coleridge's prose includes a section on Northern Worthies, the author's collection of biographies.

I. Poetry

The poets whose names glorify English literature rise above their contemporaries because their poetry is more than a momentary effusion. It is of course a moot question whether a poet must give a philosophy in his poetry, whether he must present ideas or not; but it cannot be doubted that he must be strong enough to have a characteristic attitude towards life. Though his life and work may be marked by an utter disregard for practical problems, this very scorn in itself...