Geology and Coleridge's Visual Poetics

Abstract

Abstract: The development of geology at the turn of the nineteenth century provided Samuel Taylor Coleridge with a new cognitive paradigm. Through extensive reading and fieldwork, the poet grasped the emerging geological theories and responded to the prevailing empiricist research methods of his time. Under the influence of his geological studies, Coleridge's geological writings integrated his scientific interest in nature with his poetic imagination. On this foundation, he constructed his visual poetics, which values the visual senses, emphasizes the direct observation of material objects, and insists on their precise and objective representation, while stressing the inseparable unity of visual observation and imagination. The profound embodied experience offered by geological excursions was key to the final formation of this poetic concept.

Key words: Coleridge, geology, visual poetics

摘要： 18与19世纪之交的地质学发展为柯勒律治提供了一种全新的认知范式,通过书本阅读与实地调查,诗人了解了前沿的地质学理论并响应了时兴的经验主义研究方法。在地质学研究的影响下,柯勒律治的地质写作将他对自然的科学兴趣与诗性想象融为一体,在此基础上构建其视觉诗学观：柯勒律治重视视觉感官,强调对物质客体的直接观测,并进行精确、客观的摹写,也将视觉观察与心灵想象看作不可分割的整体。地质学考察所提供的深刻具身经历正是这一诗学观念最终成形的关键。

关键词: 柯勒律治, 地质学, 视觉诗学

Liu Xinyu. Geology and Coleridge's Visual Poetics[J]. Comparative Literature in China, 2026, 0(1): 68-81.

柳鑫宇. 地质学与柯勒律治的视觉诗学[J]. 中国比较文学, 2026, 0(1): 68-81.

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