The Organ of Meaning There are often words in the English language that a reader takes for granted.

We read it and allow any previous connotations to fill our mind without taking a real look at its implications. In Websters Dictionary, imagination is defined as the act or power of forming a mental image of something not present to the senses or never before wholly perceived in reality. The word imagination often takes on this kind of role, however, in the course of literature, it has not always meant the same thing. In fact, it has not meant that at all. Imagination has a broad set of interpretations, and through authors like C.S. Lewis, Samuel Coleridge, and Immanuel Kant, it has arguably shaped not only the fiction we know today, but also a huge piece of human culture. The role that imagination plays cannot be underestimated because it was responsible for the beginning of fiction novels, and is central to several movements such as the Romanticism and the Enlightenment. The dominating viewpoints during the 18th century were of those such as Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, David Hume, and David Hartley, who were prominent philosophers in the midst of the Enlightenment movement. They believed that imagination stemmed from experience (Hill 1). In an essay written by Locke, he says, Whence has [the mind] all the materials of reason and knowledge? To this I answer, in one word, from experience. He compares the mind to a blank piece of paper that has nothing on it until ideas are printed there. Imagination, in their minds, is a passive process that requires a person to do nothing. It is a subconscious experience that is nothing more than a projection of what we have already encountered. This kind of thinking suppresses fiction writing. If imagination is a product of memory from past experiences, then it greatly restricts creative imagination and, therefore, fiction novels. Along this same line of reasoning, you could not possibly conceive something that has never happened 1

to you. Fiction novels, though, tend to be about unrealistic things. There is a problematic contradiction in early philosophers thinking though because science and imagination must coexist. There is always the dreaming side of a scientist looking for the next big discovery, as will be illustrated later with Immanuel Kant. Imagination gives us the opportunity and the means to invent. As the age of reason gained momentum, creative minds in the arts lost ground until Samuel Coleridge. In the late 1700s, Coleridge revolutionized the meaning of imagination and therefore, revolutionized how a reader encounters fiction. He took a new approach to imagination. In Biographia Literaria, Coleridge defines imagination as many different things. He believes there are three types of imagination which he calls primary, secondary, and fancy. In simple terms, the primary imagination is what humans receive through our senses in order to gain an understanding of the world around us. Coleridge explains it as a repetition in the finite mind of the eternal act of creation in the infinite I am." The main idea here is that imagination is automatic and universal (Millburn 56). This is the part of his definition that crosses paths with the Webster definition, except to a deeper extent. Primary imagination creates that mental image. Secondary imagination differs in that it is an echo of the [Primary], co-existing with the conscious will, yet still as identical with the primary in the kind of its agency, and differing only in degree, and in the mode of its operation. It dissolves, diffuses, dissipates, in order to re-create (Coleridge). So, this is the kind responsible for creation. We consciously separate images and then combine them to form a new one. His definition of fancy overlaps with Enlightenment thinkers idea of imagination. Its concern is with fixities and definites. Fancy is related to memory, which is similar to what early philosophers thought was the only aspect of imagination.

Coleridge was one of the first to separate imagination into parts, which could then give contemporary and upcoming artists a new mode to work in. In The Creative Imagination: Enlightenment to Romanticism, James Engell makes the bold statement that Imaginationwas actually the creation of the eighteenth century and that since the material world and human reason are governed by the same laws or ideas, imagination not only unifies the mind in one process but also is (or is at least a part of) the creative force of external reason as it works in the universe (n.p). In this quote, Engell is linking reason with imagination. He is touching on what was seen as a problem to thinkers of the time when you had to be for either reason or for fantasy. Engell, like many other authors after Coleridge, senses that imagination is a small idea that leads to something significant. It is clear from his definition of imagination that Samuel Coleridge was in opposition to the Enlightenment and therefore a proponent of Romanticism. His work contributed greatly to the Romantic Movement. Biographia Literaria was published in 1817 in the beginning stages of the period. Before long, imagination was adopted into the movement as a focal point in its doctrine. They placed emphasis on the individual, imagination, and the importance of combining them. Coleridge, and other Romantic writers of the time period, also believed that poetry is one with imagination and that one simply cannot exist without the other (Eyre). These ideas opened brand new doors for fiction writers at the time that could now think freely without the burden of Enlightenment thinkers. Coleridges revelation of imagination went on to shape literary criticism as well as inspire fiction writers of his time. He turned imagination from something that was discreditable and suppressed, to something that was welcomed and even encouraged. Before the Romanticism movement, imagination was suppressed and

unpopular. His work eventually went on to inspire other fiction writers such as C.S. Lewis. Without the radical ideas of Coleridge, where would fiction writers have gone? At this point, the tide was turning and a lot of it can be attributed to the work that Coleridge did on imagination. By the 19th century, imagination had found its wings and been expanded on in several different ways. C.S. Lewis has been thought of as one the great modern writers to explore the ideas of imagination when society developed the need for a new definition. Lewis derived a complicated, extensive meaning of imagination. Peter Schakel attempts to simplify the matter in his book Imagination and the Arts in C.S. Lewis: Journeying to Narnia and Other Worlds. Earlier, the Webster definition of imagination was given (see paragraph one). Lewis refers to this definition as imaginatio, the image-making faculty (Schakel 4). In other words, it is the ability to create a literal image of something nonexistent. This is clear influence from Coleridge. Just like Coleridge, Lewis separates imagination into different pieces. Lewis also makes it a point to talk about the aspect of imagination that relates to images. This is like Coleridges explation of Primary imagination. According to Schakel, Lewis idea of imagination connects things that were previously unconnected, not through a logical or intellectual process but through association, intuition, or inspiration (5). In this way, humans create a logical connection between two seemingly unrelated things, thus adding to a creative experience. This explanation is similar to Coleridges secondary imagination. Just as Coleridge described, this kind of imagination is about re-creating and connecting unfamiliar objects into a new, complete image. That is not all Lewis does for imagination though. In his book Surprised by Joy, he offers an explicit definition by breaking it up into three distinct parts. The first aspect of imagination is in regards to daydreaming. This is the most basic level of what can be considered imagination. The second level is a lower form of imagination. This level is analogous to Coleridges 4

secondary imagination. The second level involves conscious invention, such as poetry. This can be attributed once again to the influence Coleridge on not only Lewis, but on literature. The last level, explained by Lewis, is the highest kind. It is the same as level two except it requires inspiration or genius. Again, there should be an instant recognition between Lewis and Coleridge. Most importantly though, Lewis saw imagination as a way to achieve deeper understanding. Without it, the words and ideas we read hold no meaning. He even at one point said that imagination is the organ of meaning. This is clearly an effect of Romantic influence. With this definition in mind, C.S. Lewis wrote The Chronicles of Narnia. The series itself has had great influence on literature and especially on religion (which will be expanded on later). It is yet another example of how fiction novels, through imaginative experience, shape culture and create influence. Lewis has a slightly different definition than Coleridge, but we can definitely see his influence. Schakel looks into the overall significance of imagination in the arts even further. In his book, he makes a case that imagination is essential for music, art, dance, and storytelling. Those are all things that impact each and every one of us on a daily basis. Schakel and Lewis both claim that without imagination, the arts would not exist (or at least they would be useless in the context of society). It is not just about the writers experience with imagination; it is also about how the reader encounters it. C.S. Lewis spoke extensively on the imaginative experience. The way an artist lays out the work is of upmost importance, however, the ultimate burden is with the reader. The reader must take a work as a whole and view it separate from its context with complete objectiveness. One can imagine the clash with New Historicism Critics, who believe context is essential in understanding meaning. Lewis makes the case that this meaning actually comes from the imaginative experience that occurs when a reader gets submerged into storytelling, metaphor, 5

and symbol. These literary devices serve to create an ambiance. Schakel even goes as far to assert that the ordering of the Narnia series as well as the structure and diction of the works determine what experience the reader has. As can be seen, this powerful characterization of imagination has a whole list of implications. It changes how the reader receives a text, and therefore what is taken away from reading it. This leads to a larger question of what (if anything) the impact of fiction is. This point will be discussed later. Immanuel Kant extended the idea of imagination even further to include reason, mathematics, and science. He classified himself as an Enlightenment supporter, which illustrates how far the imagination movement had reached by this point (Kneller). Kants ideas, along with his contemporaries like Coleridge, changed the worlds way of thinking forever. Even as an Enlightenment thinker, Kant saw the essential role of imagination in creation and observation of the world around us. In an essay written by Mary Domski, she argues that imagination not only contributes to the theory of mathematics, but that it makes it possible. She says that Kant makes the claim that geometrical reasoning rests on perceptual modes of cognition precisely by collapsing the divide between concepts and intuitions (Domski). Kants argument on mathematics and imagination is quite convoluted, but it all boils down to one idea. That idea is that when a mathematician discovers something new, he/she must define something that previously held no definition. In that sense, they are bringing something into existence. After that point, it is their own perception that determines if the theory is of absolute truth or not. Perception is central in Kants theory of imagination. He even states that imagination is a necessary ingredient in perception itself (Young 3). Now we have included imagination to be applied to literature and mathematics. The movement was just beginning, like a snowball on and hill, and it would soon gain momentum to 6

lead us to where we are today. All of these men wrote countless essays and novels referring directly to the importance of imagination in observing the world around us. In one of his essays, Kant explains that through imagination we are capable, in thought at least, of taking up what nature gives us and working it up into another nature. As natural physical beings we are bound by laws of nature, as moral agents by the law of practical reason, but as imaginative creatures we are constrained by neither and thus have creative power. Once again, the reoccurring element of re-creation appears. Kant is saying that we can combine things in nature to form something completely different. That theme has been repeated several times now. The portion of this quote about creative power cannot be understated. It proves the point that imagination allows us to be free in our thoughts instead of confined to our material world. It has already been established that imagination lead to the establishment of fiction novels, but the real concern is the significance of that revelation. Why should society care about fiction? In a weird circle, there have been numerous studies that show that fiction is crucial to study because it stimulates the imagination (R. Lewis 2). Like many things in life, it becomes the chicken and egg problem. If imagination creates fiction, and fiction spurs imagination, then which came first? That question would be impossible for anyone to speculate on. This argument continues by stressing the importance of creativity and imagination not only in a classroom setting, but also in life. This line of reasoning can be applied to literature in general. It is the classic it will make you a better person argument. Just think where society would be without the great fiction writers we have come to idolize. There would be no Shakespeare, J.K Rowling, Stephen King, or any of the authors mentioned above. Malcolm Yorke (who specializes in childrens book) wrote an article in English in Education after researching the topic, and he determined that reading fiction developedstimulated, broadened, extended, widened,

encouraged, fed, exercised, roused, sparked off, [and] stirred up the imagination. The other element of this is self-awareness. Fiction helps readers to become aware of their own emotions because the emotions of someone else are laid out for them through anothers writing (R. Lewis 4). As previously mentioned, C.S. Lewis believes imagination leads to a deeper understanding of not only the text, but of life itself. The purpose of imagination, of course, is a topic of intense debate as society attempts to find a reason for teaching courses like English. An overall enrichment of life and accumulation of knowledge seems to be a fairly adequate reason at this point for English proponents. There is yet another dimension in studying the meaning of imagination, and that is where religion fits into the picture. When you look into the diction used by these men, there is a definite supernatural element to it. Coleridge wanted his poems to take the reader on a spiritual journey. He believed that the creative ability that stems from imagination is basically the image of God. We become like Him when we allow our minds to invent because our imagination is an honor bestowed to us from God Himself (Eyre). Lewis was the one who took this idea even further, though. It is known all around the world that Lewis was mainly a Christian writer, and that he valued imagination above any other human quality. In his book, Surprised by Joy, C.S. Lewis connects something he called joy to imagination. Schakel describes it as an experience of intense, even painful, but desired, longing, which[Lewis] came to believe was a desire for unity with the divine (8). When you utilize your imagination to the fullest, it is amazing what the mind can come up with. However, Lewis was never satisfied with what his own mind could imagine, and that created a longing in him to obtain a perfect imagination. This is what led him to the Christian faith. Imagination allows the artist, as well as the reader, to step outside of the physical realm of this world, into the seemingly impossible. It is in this mode that we may

believe in something like the supernatural. It is no coincidence that those who value imagination the highest tend to have some kind of religious faith. Kant is a peculiar case in this instance. This is where his Enlightenment side shines through. It is hard to exactly pinpoint his stance on this issue because he seems to flip flop and contradict himself many times in different works (Rossi). In his book, Critique of Pure Reason the Dialectic, Kant says that religion can be said to be something of which we have no concept, despite the ideas being something that reason is compelled by its own inherent nature to produce (174). In other words, the mind is compelled to create a God by nature alone. Again, we have a kind of connection to imagination. The human mind has a necessity to imagine the supernatural. He goes on to imply that we do this in order to supply our desire for an ultimate good. Its an interesting argument that he makes, because it is difficult to say whether he was arguing for or against the existence of God. Kants writings looked more for a justification of why humans want a God. He treats it like a backhanded compliment in that he semi acknowledges the existence of a supernatural being, but at the same time upholds that it is impossible to believe in that with reason alone. Many prominent writers have had much to say about imagination in the course of history. It is a simple word with complex connotations and an extensive history that has, incorrectly, taken an implicit definition in modern times. Immanuel Kant, Samuel Coleridge, and C.S. Lewis are just a few that have left society with a dynamic way of thinking about it. They themselves utilized imagination when they set out to explore its meaning, and when they made it their life goal to share that discovery with the world.