Which literary figure or critic is associated with the phrase “willing suspension of disbelief” ?
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Answer: C. Coleridge
Explanation
Samuel Taylor Coleridge introduced the critical concept of willing suspension of disbelief. He explained that readers willingly put aside rational doubt to enjoy imaginative works of literature. This idea remains a foundational principle for engaging with fantasy, science fiction, and drama. Coleridge published his critical theories in his famous prose work Biographia Literaria in 1817. He collaborated with Wordsworth on Lyrical Ballads, contributing supernatural elements to their collection. The concept bridges the gap between cold rational thought and emotional immersion in art.
Modern moviegoers and fiction readers apply this mental grace every time they enter a fictional world. Writers rely on this psychological cooperation from their audience to make improbable plots believable. Literary critics use Coleridge's phrase to discuss how artistic illusion successfully operates in practice. Charles Lamb was a notable essayist and friend of Coleridge but did not coin this phrase. Joseph Conrad was a later novelist known for maritime fiction rather than Romantic literary theory. William Wordsworth focused on rustic realism rather than formulating the suspension of disbelief.
- Subject
- English
- Category
- English Literature
- Topic
- —
- Difficulty
- medium
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