Coleridge's transcendentalism has been a stumbling block in the way of his admirers as well as students of his poetry and criticism. Readers are in love with his subtle-souled psychology in poetry and delicate imagery. They also admire his brilliant and perceptive criticism seen in his remarks on the genius of Shakespeare or the poetic diction of Wordsworth. But the philosophical and psychological assumptions that underlie his criticism, especially with regard to the origin and composition of poetry, baffle and intrigue his readers.