The Concept of Self in Indian Philosophy and English Romantic Literature: A Comparative Exploration

A comparative analysis examines how the concept of self is understood in Indian philosophical traditions—Advaita Vedānta and Sāṃkhya-Yoga—and in the works of English Romantic poets Wordsworth, Coleridge, and Shelley. Romanticism portrays the self as a creative, reflective consciousness engaged with nature and the sublime, while Indian systems view the self (ātman) as a pure, unchanging, non-dual ontological reality. The study argues that Indian metaphysical insights critique the Romantic valorization of the poetic ego, suggesting selfhood is not expressive individuality but spiritual unveiling, opening an East–West dialogue at the intersection of literature, philosophy, and consciousness studies.

Study at a glance

Abstract

This paper undertakes a comparative philosophical-literary exploration of the concept of self as it emerges in Indian philosophical traditions—particularly Advaita Vedānta and Sāṃkhya-Yoga—and in the works of major English Romantic poets such as William Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, and Percy Bysshe Shelley. While the Romantic tradition posits the self as both a source of poetic creativity and as a reflective, often solitary, consciousness engaging with nature and the sublime, Indian philosophical systems present the self (ātman) as a deeper ontological reality—pure, unchanging, and ultimately non-dual. Through a close reading of selected Romantic texts and primary Indian philosophical sources, this study examines whether the Romantic ideal of the poetic self aligns with the Vedāntic notion of self-realization (mokṣa) or remains trapped within a limited egoic frame. Special emphasis is placed on the tension between emotional subjectivity and metaphysical universality, and on the moral-aesthetic implications of this tension. The paper argues that Indian metaphysical insights enrich and critique the Romantic valorization of the poetic ego, inviting a reconsideration of selfhood not as expressive individuality but as spiritual unveiling. This interdisciplinary inquiry opens a productive East–West dialogue at the intersection of literature, philosophy, and consciousness studies.