Confessions of an Inquiring Spirit and Some Miscellaneous Pieces

Coleridge, Samuel Taylor, 1772-1834Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

Rating 3.8

Word count: 258K words
Chapters: 26

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Confessions of an Inquiring Spirit and Some Miscellaneous Pieces by ColeridgeAuthor: Coleridge, Samuel Taylor, 1772-1834,Language: English, Class: BS: Philosophy, Psychology, Religion: Christianity: The Bible, Old and New Testament, Release Date: Apr 1, 2001

Editor's review

This book gathers Coleridge's reflections on the relationship between faith and reason, along with several miscellaneous pieces. Taking "the inquiring spirit" as its thread, it discusses how individuals should approach religious texts and doctrinal authority, stressing that questioning is not irreverence but a necessary posture in understanding. The thought is dense and carries the typical tone of a nineteenth-century British Romantic thinker: it values inner experience while also valuing conceptual analysis. For readers, its value lies not in providing conclusions but in displaying an earnest way of thinking—how to speak of faith without abandoning reason. The Gutenberg edition is an English text, suited to slow reading as intellectual essays rather than as a systematic theology textbook. Such writing requires some patience, but repeated pondering brings insight, especially for readers interested in philosophy of religion, British Romantic literature, and intellectual history.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in the relationship between religious philosophy, faith, and reason
Students of British Romantic literature who want to know a lesser-seen side of Coleridge's thought
Readers accustomed to intellectual essays who are willing to read discursive prose slowly
Advanced learners who need English intellectual texts as reading material

Not a good fit for

Readers hoping for a systematic theology textbook or an introduction to doctrine
General readers who prefer light narrative or plot-driven works
Readers with weak English foundations who lose patience with abstract, long sentences

Reading tips

Read only a small section at a time, then summarize the author's core question in two or three sentences before continuing
Keep pen and paper ready to mark recurring key concepts and trace the author's line of argument
Infer religious terms from context first; do not interrupt your reading to look up every word
After several chapters, return to the beginning to test whether your understanding of "the inquiring spirit" has changed

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

What is the main theme of this book?

According to the edition information, the book is classified among works on religion and biblical thought. Its core is reflection on the relationship between faith and reason, and between personal inquiry and textual authority, accompanied by several miscellaneous pieces.

Can I read it without a theology background?

You can try, but slow down. The book involves discussion of religious texts and doctrine; without background, do not aim for complete understanding. First grasp the author's attitude of thought and manner of argument, then gradually fill in the relevant knowledge.

Is this Coleridge's representative work?

This book contains his intellectual essays and miscellaneous pieces, not the side of him known for poetry. It is better used as supplementary reading for understanding a lesser-seen side of Coleridge's thought rather than as the only entry point.

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

Coleridge, Samuel Taylor, 1772-1834 Author

Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772–1834) was a major English poet and critic of the Romantic movement. The library holds 21 of his works, including complete poetical collections, a single long narrative poem, selected poems, and prose criticism. His best-known work, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, is distinguished by its strange sea narrative, supernatural imagery, musical language, and rich imagination. Biographia Literaria sets out his critical ideas on imagination, fancy, and poetic language, exerting a lasting influence on later literary theory. His poetry often blends philosophical reflection, religious feeling, and natural description, combining the simplicity of ballad form with meditative speculation. Public information is limited, so this note relies mainly on the library's holdings to describe his subjects, style, and literary influence without inventing biographical details.