Who among the following acknowledged that poetry is formed from the same elements as prose; the difference lies in the different combination of these elements and the difference of purpose?
Correct Answer :
Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Solution :
The correct option is Samuel Taylor Coleridge.
Samuel Taylor Coleridge, a seminal figure of the English Romantic movement, explored the nature of poetry and prose extensively in his critical work, most notably in Biographia Literaria (1817). In Chapter 14 of this work, Coleridge discusses the distinction between poetry and prose writing. He argues that both modes of writing use the same raw materials—words and grammatical structures—but differ fundamentally in how those elements are selected, combined, and arranged, as well as the ultimate objective or purpose of the composition.
According to Coleridge, while prose aims primarily at the communication of truths or facts, poetry seeks to provide immediate pleasure through the harmonious combination of its parts. Thus, the difference lies not in the basic elements themselves, but in the "different combination of these elements" and the "difference of purpose."
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