Organic form
Encyclopedia
A work is said to possess an organic form if the work's structure has originated from the materials and subjects used by the author, "as a plant". It stands in contrast to a mechanical form, a work which has been produced in accordance with artificial rules. The lack of rules in Shakespeare's works led some critics to claim that they lacked form; Samuel Taylor Coleridge
leapt to his defence with the concept of organic form.
Coleridge, an English poet, philosopher, literary critic, and founder of the Romantic movement, suggested that the concept of organic form meant that a poem or literary piece was shaped, rather than structured, from within. The use of the form allowed a piece to uniquely develop itself as it unfolded, and ultimately revealed an emphasis on the whole outcome of the piece, including the connections of each development to each other.
In contrast to the more mechanical processes and rules which many critics believed were necessary for the formation of poetry and works, S.T. Coleridge determined that a more subconscious approach was possible through the, ‘‘imagination of the artist’’ whereby the outcome is an organic form, where ‘‘content and form have coalesced and fused’’
His own explanation can be found in Vol. 2 of his book Twentieth Century Literature in English
In R.A. Foake’s Introduction to his text "Coleridge’s criticism of Shakespeare: a selection by R. A. Foakes", he defines Coleridge’s defense of Shakespeare’s works as, ‘’an act of sympathetic imagination, to enter into the spirit of each work, to reveal it’s inner organizing principle, and to show how Shakespeare, properly understood, was always in control and exercising judgement,’’
Regarding Shakespeare’s much criticized erratic form, Coleridge further imposed the possibilities of organic form:
Following on from Coleridge’s 18th Century ideas on organic form, was Gerard Manley Hopkins
, one of the most revered 19th Century poets of the Victorian era
Hopkins introduced the terms “inscape
” and “instress”. “Inscape” was the word used to define the core components in individual objects, allowing him to then home in on its relation to other objects and their perception as a whole. “Instress” focussed on the assimilating the immediate apperception and the sensory processes of perception .
20th-Century American poet Denise Levertov
was an artist of organic form herself.
In her own, ‘Some notes of organic form’ she gives credit to Gerard Manley Hopkin’s influence on her own ideas and poetic form:
Levertov believed that in order to achieve organic form in literature, the artist must be ‘brought to speech’ through a demanding sensory experience which renders them no choice but to put pen to paper. In her own work, Levertov concentrated on various techniques such as enjambment
, popular with much of Shakespeare’s work, and ‘juxtaposition of key words’ for effect. Avenues were carefully sought and deliberated upon to create the ‘right words, the right image, the right arrangement of the lines on the page’. Many artists of organic form believed that a reader or audience were not immediately, if ever, considered during the construction of a poem or piece. Levertov, included, felt it was essential that a poem be produced from the ‘inner being of the poet’.
Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Samuel Taylor Coleridge was an English poet, Romantic, literary critic and philosopher who, with his friend William Wordsworth, was a founder of the Romantic Movement in England and a member of the Lake Poets. He is probably best known for his poems The Rime of the Ancient Mariner and Kubla...
leapt to his defence with the concept of organic form.
Coleridge, an English poet, philosopher, literary critic, and founder of the Romantic movement, suggested that the concept of organic form meant that a poem or literary piece was shaped, rather than structured, from within. The use of the form allowed a piece to uniquely develop itself as it unfolded, and ultimately revealed an emphasis on the whole outcome of the piece, including the connections of each development to each other.
In contrast to the more mechanical processes and rules which many critics believed were necessary for the formation of poetry and works, S.T. Coleridge determined that a more subconscious approach was possible through the, ‘‘imagination of the artist’’ whereby the outcome is an organic form, where ‘‘content and form have coalesced and fused’’
His own explanation can be found in Vol. 2 of his book Twentieth Century Literature in English
- The form is mechanic when on any given material we impress a predetermined form, not necessarily arising out of the properties of the material-as when to a mass of wet clay we give whatever shape we wish it to retain when hardened. The organic form, on the other hand, is innate; it shapes as it develops itself from within, and the fullness of its development is one and the same with the perfection of its outward form.
In R.A. Foake’s Introduction to his text "Coleridge’s criticism of Shakespeare: a selection by R. A. Foakes", he defines Coleridge’s defense of Shakespeare’s works as, ‘’an act of sympathetic imagination, to enter into the spirit of each work, to reveal it’s inner organizing principle, and to show how Shakespeare, properly understood, was always in control and exercising judgement,’’
Regarding Shakespeare’s much criticized erratic form, Coleridge further imposed the possibilities of organic form:
- ...each exterior is the physiognomyPhysiognomyPhysiognomy is the assessment of a person's character or personality from their outer appearance, especially the face...
of the being within, its true image reflected and thrown out from the concave mirror; and even such is the appropriate excellence of her chosen poet, our own Shakespeare-himself a nature humanized, a genial understanding directing self-consciously a power and implicit wisdom deeper than consciousness.
Following on from Coleridge’s 18th Century ideas on organic form, was Gerard Manley Hopkins
Gerard Manley Hopkins
Gerard Manley Hopkins, S.J. was an English poet, Roman Catholic convert, and Jesuit priest, whose posthumous 20th-century fame established him among the leading Victorian poets...
, one of the most revered 19th Century poets of the Victorian era
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
Hopkins introduced the terms “inscape
Inscape
Inscape is a concept derived by Gerard Manley Hopkins from the ideas of the medieval philosopher Duns Scotus.[Hopkins] felt that everything in the universe was characterized by what he called inscape, the distinctive design that constitutes individual identity. This identity is not static but...
” and “instress”. “Inscape” was the word used to define the core components in individual objects, allowing him to then home in on its relation to other objects and their perception as a whole. “Instress” focussed on the assimilating the immediate apperception and the sensory processes of perception .
20th-Century American poet Denise Levertov
Denise Levertov
-Early life and influences:Levertov was born and grew up in Ilford, Essex.Couzyn, Jeni Contemporary Women Poets. Bloodaxe, p74 Her mother, Beatrice Spooner-Jones Levertoff, came from a small mining village in North Wales...
was an artist of organic form herself.
In her own, ‘Some notes of organic form’ she gives credit to Gerard Manley Hopkin’s influence on her own ideas and poetic form:
- A partial definition, then, of organic poetry might be that it is a method of apperception, i.e., of recognizing what we perceive, and is based on an intuition of an order, a form beyond forms, in which forms partake, and of which man’s creative works are analogies, resemblances, natural allegories. Such poetry is exploratory.
Levertov believed that in order to achieve organic form in literature, the artist must be ‘brought to speech’ through a demanding sensory experience which renders them no choice but to put pen to paper. In her own work, Levertov concentrated on various techniques such as enjambment
Enjambment
Enjambment or enjambement is the breaking of a syntactic unit by the end of a line or between two verses. It is to be contrasted with end-stopping, where each linguistic unit corresponds with a single line, and caesura, in which the linguistic unit ends mid-line...
, popular with much of Shakespeare’s work, and ‘juxtaposition of key words’ for effect. Avenues were carefully sought and deliberated upon to create the ‘right words, the right image, the right arrangement of the lines on the page’. Many artists of organic form believed that a reader or audience were not immediately, if ever, considered during the construction of a poem or piece. Levertov, included, felt it was essential that a poem be produced from the ‘inner being of the poet’.