In this joint paper the Southey–Coleridge circle is looked at from two points of view. The first part of the paper, written by Pratt, employs a literary-historical approach in order to establish the boundaries of the network and to explore its complex social and textual dynamics. Concentrating on both the public and private identities of the Southey–Coleridge circle, it reveals the complex nature of literary and political culture in the closing years of the eighteenth century. The second part, written by Denison, examines a linguistic innovation, the progressive passive, and relates it to usage by members of the circle acting as a social network. A brief conclusion draws both parts together.