Progression and Integration: George Santayana’s “Trilevel Theory” of Literary Creation

XIE Minmin

Hunan Normal University

Page 011-031

Abstract: In assessing the quality of poetry, George Santayana advanced a graded criterion that may be termed a “trilevel theory.” Although this conception originally emerged from his reflections on poetry, it came to serve as an overarching framework for his broader literary vision, mirroring his views on some literary elements such as form, matter, and theme. What is especially compelling is the latent unity of Santayana’s diverse intellectual roles—philosopher, aesthetician, and literary critic—within this literary structure. His pursuit of aesthetic excellence, advocacy of realism and literary tradition, philosophical commitment to naturalism and rationalism, and his sense of responsibility as an intellectual are all organically integrated within this idea.

Keywords: trilevel, form, realism, imagination, reason

DOI: 10.53397/hunnu.jflc.202502002

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