Catholic priest Robert Barth outlines Samuel Taylor Coleridge's Romantic thought in a concise and easy to read manner. No, Coleridge was not just a poet; he was also a learned theologian and classicist. His Romantic thought consists of elevating the Imagination above mechanical reason, especially in theology. The Imagination is where we perceive symbol, and where we create symbols, such as in art, poetry, or music. When we create symbols, we participate in the creative action of God, the great "I Am." Thus for Coleridge, a worship service is a much better way to meet God than say, compiling a systematic theology. This is because the worship service appeals to the imagination through the symbols: bread, wine, stained glass, liturgy, music, etc.

Symbols are not "mere" representations. Symbols participate in the reality they symbolize, so that a handshake actually participates in brotherhood. A symbol, such as a handshake, is translucent and reveals eternal truth in the temporal. A symbol is almost synonymous with "sacrament," in that speaking a word of forgiveness, or breaking bread and wine, are symbols that point to actions and realities outside of themselves. While allegory fades and may be deconstructed, symbols are lasting and enduring, and are all somehow united with one another and God. Thus Coleridge owes much to neo-Platonism and the early Christian writers.

As an example of the differences between mechanical and imaginative perception, Coleridge believes that the mechanical mind only sees juxtapositions and order. A doctrine such as the Trinity seems absurd when perceived rationally, but in the imagination, the three and the one may "interpenetrate." This has implications for interpretation of the Bible. Chapter 6 of Barth deals primarily with this. Coleridge believes that literalists and anti-Christian scoffers all err, because they interpret the Bible in a mechanical way. They miss truths for words. Coleridge does not deny the historicity of the Bible per se, but believes that literal interpretation asks the wrong questions. Rather Biblical symbols, such as Jesus as both priest and sacrifice, while absurd to the literal mind, enrich the Bible's testimony when perceived by the Imagination.

This book is a great primer on Coleridge's thought. I seem to have been a kind of Romantic/Platonist since birth, so what Coleridge says resonates. Barth offers a clear summary of Coleridge's thought and current implications. If you have ever thought that mechanical "rational" thought misses meanings in life that you experience, Coleridge's philosophy might be for you. If not, buy it for historical study. The chapters are:

1. Theological Foundations of Coleridge on Imagination
2. Symbol as Sacrament
3. The Poetry of Reference
4. Poetry of Encounter: Wordsworth
5. Poetry of Encounter: Coleridge
6. The Scriptural Imagination
7. Symbol and Romanticism
8. Symbol and Religion: Past and Future