Samuel Taylor Coleridge: Difference between revisions
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One of the major British Romantic poets | One of the major British Romantic poets. | ||
== Biography == | == Biography == | ||
Samuel Taylor Coleridge was born as the tenth and last child of the vicar of Ottery Saint Mary near Devonshire, England and he died on the 25th of July in 1834 | Samuel Taylor Coleridge was born on the 21st of October in 1772 as the tenth and last child of the vicar of Ottery Saint Mary near Devonshire, England and he died on the 25th of July in 1834 at Highgate, England. | ||
His father died in 1782 and | |||
His father died in 1782 and Coleridge was sent to Christ's Hospital for his school education. Despite a certain eagerness to study he described his school years as depressing, moping and friendless. In 1791 he entered Jesus College, Cambridge. In 1793 Coleridge joined the 15th Light Dragoons, a British cavalry unit, due to financial problems. After his discharge in April 1794, he returned to Jesus College but left in the same year without completing a degree, because of his developing friendship with [[Robert Southey]]. | |||
He and his friend both shared the same interest in poetry and dislike for the tradition of a return to the Greek and Latin classics. They were also rather radical in politics, since they developed the vision of a "pantisocracy" - an ideal community - to be founded in America. Their utopian plan, however, never came into being. | He and his friend both shared the same interest in poetry and dislike for the tradition of a return to the Greek and Latin classics. They were also rather radical in politics, since they developed the vision of a "pantisocracy" - an ideal community - to be founded in America. Their utopian plan, however, never came into being. | ||
In 1795 Coleridge got married to Sara Fricker, who happened to be the sister of Southey's future wife. | In 1795 Coleridge got married to Sara Fricker, who happened to be the sister of Southey's future wife. Colerdidge's marriage proved unhappy and his friendship to Southey cooled, because Southey decided to move to Portugal and Coleridge remained in England to write and lecture. | ||
Between 1795 and 1802 Coleridge experienced the period of his major poetic and intellectual development. During that time he spent a year in Germany and became friends with William and Dorothy Wordsworths. When he returned to England he settled in the Lake District. In the following years, however, he led a rather miserable life, because the climate worsened his many chronic health problems. Due to this condition he took laudanum and soon became an addict to this opium-like drug. His marriage was failed not only because of his addiction but especially, because he fell in love with Sara Hutchinson, Wordsworth's sister-in-law. His bad health and his emotional distress are reflected in most of his works. After a two-year stay in Malta he got separated from his wife in 1806 and by 1810 the friendship to the Wordsworths had declined, too. He then moved to London, where he spent the last eighteen years of his life at Highgate and eventually died in 1834. | |||
== Major Works == | == Major Works == | ||
[[File:Christabel,_Kubla_Khan,_and_Pains_of_Sleep_titlepage.jpg ]] | |||
Coleridge is probably known mostly for his hypnotic and lengthy poems: ''The Rime of the Ancient Mariner'' and ''Christabel''. Even those who have never read the Rime have nevertheless come across these elements: the metaphor of an albatross around one's neck, the quote or rather mis-quote of "water, water everywhere, but not a drop to drink", and the phrase "a sadder but wiser man". His ''Christabel'' is known for its musical rhythm and language and its Gothic tale, involving both the Vampire and Femme Fatale element. His poem ''Kubla Khan'' is also widely known and loved for it's strange, dreamy imagery. Furthermore, both ''Kubla Khan'' and ''Christabel'' are supposed to be fragments (or experiments on intentionally fragmented texts). | |||
Coleridge like many others circulated versions of his works in manuscript form before they were officially published. In that way Mary Robinson could write a poetical reply to ''Kubla Khan'' in 1797 before it was published together with ''Christabel'' in 1816. Also [[Walter Scott]] had been reading ''Christabel'' for more than ten years before publication, which was urged by Lord Byron, who also was a fan of the manuscript. Byron recites from ''Christabel'' to Percy Bysshe and [[Mary Shelley]] at their famous meeting at Lake Geneva in 1816, when the party entertained themselves by challenging each other in telling and writing ghost stories. This in turn became the birthplace of Mary Shelley's ''[[Frankenstein]]'' (1818), one of the archetypical Gothic novels. | |||
== Sources == | == Sources == | ||
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[http://www.notablebiographies.com/Co-Da/Coleridge-Samuel-Taylor.html] | [http://www.notablebiographies.com/Co-Da/Coleridge-Samuel-Taylor.html] | ||
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Christabel,_Kubla_Khan,_and_Pains_of_Sleep_titlepage.jpg] | |||
Bygrave, Stephen. ''Samuel Taylor Coleridge''. Plymouth: Northcote House, 1997. | |||
Everest, Kelvin. "Coleridge's Life", in: (ed.) Lucy Newlyn. ''Cambridge Companion to Coleridge''. Cambridge, New York: Cambridge University Press, 2002: 17-31. | |||
Beer, John. "Coleridge's Afterlife", in: (ed.) Lucy Newlyn. ''Cambridge Companion to Coleridge''. Cambridge, New York: Cambridge University Press, 2002: 231-244. | |||
Nowak, Helge. ''Literature in Britain and Ireland: A History''. UTB 3148. Thübingen: Francke, 2010. | |||
Latest revision as of 16:22, 24 January 2011
One of the major British Romantic poets.
Biography
Samuel Taylor Coleridge was born on the 21st of October in 1772 as the tenth and last child of the vicar of Ottery Saint Mary near Devonshire, England and he died on the 25th of July in 1834 at Highgate, England.
His father died in 1782 and Coleridge was sent to Christ's Hospital for his school education. Despite a certain eagerness to study he described his school years as depressing, moping and friendless. In 1791 he entered Jesus College, Cambridge. In 1793 Coleridge joined the 15th Light Dragoons, a British cavalry unit, due to financial problems. After his discharge in April 1794, he returned to Jesus College but left in the same year without completing a degree, because of his developing friendship with Robert Southey.
He and his friend both shared the same interest in poetry and dislike for the tradition of a return to the Greek and Latin classics. They were also rather radical in politics, since they developed the vision of a "pantisocracy" - an ideal community - to be founded in America. Their utopian plan, however, never came into being. In 1795 Coleridge got married to Sara Fricker, who happened to be the sister of Southey's future wife. Colerdidge's marriage proved unhappy and his friendship to Southey cooled, because Southey decided to move to Portugal and Coleridge remained in England to write and lecture.
Between 1795 and 1802 Coleridge experienced the period of his major poetic and intellectual development. During that time he spent a year in Germany and became friends with William and Dorothy Wordsworths. When he returned to England he settled in the Lake District. In the following years, however, he led a rather miserable life, because the climate worsened his many chronic health problems. Due to this condition he took laudanum and soon became an addict to this opium-like drug. His marriage was failed not only because of his addiction but especially, because he fell in love with Sara Hutchinson, Wordsworth's sister-in-law. His bad health and his emotional distress are reflected in most of his works. After a two-year stay in Malta he got separated from his wife in 1806 and by 1810 the friendship to the Wordsworths had declined, too. He then moved to London, where he spent the last eighteen years of his life at Highgate and eventually died in 1834.
Major Works
Coleridge is probably known mostly for his hypnotic and lengthy poems: The Rime of the Ancient Mariner and Christabel. Even those who have never read the Rime have nevertheless come across these elements: the metaphor of an albatross around one's neck, the quote or rather mis-quote of "water, water everywhere, but not a drop to drink", and the phrase "a sadder but wiser man". His Christabel is known for its musical rhythm and language and its Gothic tale, involving both the Vampire and Femme Fatale element. His poem Kubla Khan is also widely known and loved for it's strange, dreamy imagery. Furthermore, both Kubla Khan and Christabel are supposed to be fragments (or experiments on intentionally fragmented texts).
Coleridge like many others circulated versions of his works in manuscript form before they were officially published. In that way Mary Robinson could write a poetical reply to Kubla Khan in 1797 before it was published together with Christabel in 1816. Also Walter Scott had been reading Christabel for more than ten years before publication, which was urged by Lord Byron, who also was a fan of the manuscript. Byron recites from Christabel to Percy Bysshe and Mary Shelley at their famous meeting at Lake Geneva in 1816, when the party entertained themselves by challenging each other in telling and writing ghost stories. This in turn became the birthplace of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (1818), one of the archetypical Gothic novels.
Sources
![[1]](http://www.notablebiographies.com/images/uewb_03_img0195.jpg){kind=link}
![[3]](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Christabel,_Kubla_Khan,_and_Pains_of_Sleep_titlepage.jpg){kind=link}
Bygrave, Stephen. Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Plymouth: Northcote House, 1997.
Everest, Kelvin. "Coleridge's Life", in: (ed.) Lucy Newlyn. Cambridge Companion to Coleridge. Cambridge, New York: Cambridge University Press, 2002: 17-31.
Beer, John. "Coleridge's Afterlife", in: (ed.) Lucy Newlyn. Cambridge Companion to Coleridge. Cambridge, New York: Cambridge University Press, 2002: 231-244.
Nowak, Helge. Literature in Britain and Ireland: A History. UTB 3148. Thübingen: Francke, 2010.