Aids to Reflection

Coleridge's "Aids to Reflection" was written at a time when new movements in thought were starting to unsettle belief. It was read with admiration by early Victorians such as John Sterlin, F.D. Maurice and Thomas Arnold, contributing to the formation of the Broad Church Movement, including John Henry Newman. Coleridge had intended simply to produce a selection from the writings of the 17th-century Archbishop Robert Leighton, with comments of his own. However, as he worked at the book, he found the commentary expanding to take in the fruits of his religious thinking over the years, so that the second, and more important part, of the volume was totally dominated by his thought. In this edition of "Aids to Reflection", the intricate story of Coleridge's changing conception is unfolded by way of an introduction and detailed noted, the surviving materials for the volume being printed in appendices. The introduction also traces the subsequent influence of the work in England and America; further appendices include James Marsh's influential preface to the first American edition, which is reproduced in full.