Publisher's Synopsis
Excerpt from The Complete Works of Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Vol. 4: Lectures Upon Shakespeare and Other Dramatists
The contents of this volume are drawn from a portion only of the manuscripts intrusted to the Editor: the remainder of the collection, which, under favorable circumstances, he hopes may hereafter see the light, is at least of equal value with what is now presented to the reader as a sample. In perusing the fol lowing pages, the reader will, in a few instances, meet with dis quisitions of a transcendental character, which, as a general rule, have been avoided the truth is, that they were sometimes found so indissolubly intertwined with the more popular matter which preceded and followed, as to make separation impracticable. There are very many to whom no apology will be necessary in this respect and the Editor only adverts to it for the purpose of obviating, as far as may be, the possible complaint of the more general reader. But there is another point to which, taught by past experience, he attaches more importance, and as to which, therefore, he ventures to put in a more express and particular caution. In many of the books' and papers, which have been used in the compilation of these volumes, passages from other writers, noted down by Mr. Coleridge as in some way remark able, were mixed up with his own comments on such passages, or with his re?ections on other subjects, in a manner very em barrassing to the eye of a third person undertaking to select the original matter, after the lapse of several years. The Editor need not say that he has not knowingly admitted any thing that was not genuine. It is possible that some cases of mistake in this respect may have occurred. There may be one or two passages - they can not well be more - printed in this volume which belong to other writers and if such there be, the Editor can only plead in excuse, that the work has been prepared by him amidst many distractions, and hope that, in this instance at least, no ungenerous use will be made of such a circumstance to the disadvantage of the author, and that persons of greater read ing or more retentive memories than the Editor, who may dis cover any such passages, will do him the favor to communicate the fact.
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