Who among the following compared "the mind in creation" to "a fading coal"?

Correct option is C

Explanation:

The comparison of "the mind in creation" to "a fading coal" comes from Percy Bysshe Shelley’s essay “A Defence of Poetry” (1821). Shelley describes the creative process as spontaneous and fleeting, comparing it to a coal that glows brightly for a moment but fades unless reignited. He suggests that poetic inspiration is temporary and cannot be sustained through conscious effort alone. This metaphor highlights the transient and almost divine nature of creativity in Shelley's Romantic philosophy.

Information Booster:

1. “A Defence of Poetry” was written in response to Thomas Love Peacock’s satirical essay “The Four Ages of Poetry.”
2. Shelley argues that poets are the unacknowledged legislators of the world, as they shape ideas and emotions.
3. The metaphor of "a fading coal" reflects the Romantic emphasis on inspiration and the sublime.
4. Shelley's work defends the value of poetry as essential to societal progress and intellectual growth.

Additional Knowledge:

• Wordsworth: Focused on poetry as “emotion recollected in tranquility” but did not use this metaphor.
• Coleridge: Highlighted the imagination’s role in creation, but his imagery differs significantly from Shelley’s.
  
• Keats: Emphasized negative capability and the beauty of imperfection but did not use this comparison.