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Samuel Taylor Coleridge:''This page is about the nineteenth century English poet. For the twentieth century classical composer, see Samuel Coleridge-Taylor.'' Samuel Taylor Coleridge (October 21, 1772 – July 25, 1834) was an English poet, critic, and philosopher who was, along with his friend William Wordsworth, one of the founders of the Romanticism in England and as one of the Lake Poets. He is probably best known for his poems ''The Rime of the Ancient Mariner'' and ''Kubla Khan'', as well as his major prose work ''Biographia Literaria''. == Life == Coleridge was born in Ottery St Mary, the son of a vicar. After the death of his father, he was sent to Christ's Hospital, a boarding school in West Sussex. In later life, Coleridge idealised his father as a pious innocent, but his relationship with his mother was difficult. His childhood was characterised by attention-seeking, which has been linked with his dependent personality as an adult, and he was rarely allowed to return home during his schooldays. From 1791 until 1794 he attended Jesus College, Cambridge at the University of Cambridge, except for a short period when he enlisted in the royal dragoons. At the university he met political and theological ideas then considered radical. He left Cambridge without a degree and joined the poet Robert Southey in a plan, soon abandoned, to found a utopian communist-like society, called pantisocracy, in the wilderness of Pennsylvania. In 1795 the two friends married Sarah and Elizabeth Fricker (who were sisters), but Coleridge's marriage proved unhappy. Southey departed for Portugal, but Coleridge remained in England. In 1796 he published ''Poems on Various Subjects''. In 1795 Coleridge met poet William Wordsworth and his sister Dorothy Wordsworth. They became immediate friends. Around 1796, Coleridge started using opium as a pain reliever. His and Dorothy Wordsworth's notebooks record that he suffered from a variety of medical complaints, including toothache and facial neuralgia. There appears to have been no stigma associated with taking opium then, but also little understanding of the physiological or psychological aspects of addiction. He also was reported to have been, according to Dorothy Wordsworth, a "terrible lover" and "one whose realm is not that of the land twixt the sheets," alluding to the fact that opium caused him to have terrible gynecomastia and erectile dysfunction. The years 1797 and 1798, during which the friends lived in Nether Stowey, Somerset, were among the most fruitful of Coleridge's life. Besides the ''Ancient Mariner'', he composed the symbolic poem ''Kubla Khan'', written—Coleridge himself claimed—as a result of an opium dream, in "a kind of a reverie"; and the first part of the narrative poem ''Christabel''. During this period he also produced his much-praised "conversation" poems ''This Lime-Tree Bower My Prison'', ''Frost at Midnight'', and ''The Nightingale''. In 1798 Coleridge and Wordsworth published a joint volume of poetry, ''Lyrical Ballads'', which proved to be the starting-point for the English romantic movement. Though the productive Wordsworth contributed more poems to the volume, Coleridge's first version of ''The Rime of the Ancient Mariner'' was the longest poem and drew more immediate attention than anything else. In the autumn of 1798 Coleridge and Wordsworth left for a stay in Germany; Coleridge soon went his own way and spent much of his time in university towns. During this period he became interested in German philosophy, especially the transcendental idealism of Immanuel Kant, and in the literary criticism of the 18th-century dramatist Gotthold Lessing. Coleridge studied German and, after his return to England, translated the dramatic trilogy ''Wallenstein'' by the German Classical poet Friedrich Schiller into English. In 1800 he returned to England and shortly thereafter settled with his family and friends at Keswick, Cumbria in the Lake District of Cumberland, England. Soon, however, he fell into a vicious circle of lack of confidence in his poetic powers, ill-health, and increased opium dependency. From 1804 to 1806, Coleridge lived in Malta and travelled in Sicily and Italy, in the hope that leaving Britain's damp climate would improve his health and thus enable him to reduce his consumption of opium. For a while he had a civil-service job as the Public Secretary of the British administration of Malta, assisting governor Alexander Ball. Thomas de Quincey alleges in his ''Recollections of the Lakes and the Lake Poets'' that it was during this period that Coleridge became a full-blown opium addict, using the drug as a substitute for the lost vigour and creativity of his youth. It has been suggested, however, that this reflects de Quincey's own experiences more than Coleridge's. Between 1808 and 1819 this "giant among dwarfs", as he was often considered by his contemporaries, gave a series of lectures in London and Bristol – those on William Shakespeare renewed interest in the playwright as a model for contemporary writers. In 1816 Coleridge, his addiction worsening, his spirits depressed, and his family alienated, took residence in the home of the physician James Gillman, in Highgate. ln Gillman's home he finished his major prose work, the ''Biographia Literaria'' (1817), a volume composed of 25 chapters of autobiographical notes and dissertations on various subjects, including some incisive literary theory and criticism. The sections in which Coleridge expounded his definitions of the nature of poetry and the imagination are particularly important: he made a famous distinction between primary and secondary imagination on the one hand and fancy on the other. He published other writings while he was living at the Gillman home, notably ''Sibylline Leaves'' (1817), ''Aids to Reflection'' (1825), and ''Church and State'' (1830). He died in Highgate on July 25, 1834. == Poetry == Coleridge is probably best known for his long narrative poems, ''The Rime of the Ancient Mariner'' and ''Christabel''. Even those who have never read the ''Rime'' have come under its influence: its words have given the English language the metaphor of an albatross around one's neck, the (mis)quote of "water, water everywhere, but not a drop to drink", and the phrase "a sadder but wiser man". ''Christabel'' is known for its musical rhythm and language and its Gothic novel tale. ''Kubla Khan, or, A Vision in a Dream, A Fragment'', although shorter, is also widely known and loved. It has strange, dreamy imagery and (like most good poems) can be read on many levels. The name of Ted Nelson's Project Xanadu comes from the first line of ''Kubla Khan''. Both ''Kubla Khan'' and ''Christabel'' have additional "romantic" aura because they were never finished. Coleridge's shorter, meditative "conversation poems," however, proved to be the most influential of his work. These include both quiet poems like ''This Lime-Tree Bower My Prison'' and ''Frost at Midnight'' and also strongly emotional poems like ''Dejection'' and ''The Pains of Sleep''. Wordsworth immediately adopted the model of these poems, and used it to compose several of his major poems. Via Wordsworth, the conversation poem became a standard vehicle for English poetic expression, and perhaps the most common approach among modern poets. == Other works == Although known today primarily for his poetry, Coleridge also published essays and books on literary theory, criticism, politics, philosophy, and theology. He introduced Immanuel Kant to the British public in his lectures and "Thursday-night seminars" at Highgate. Coleridge's treatment of the German idealist philosophers in the ''Biographia Literaria'' has been subject to the accusation of plagiarism. It is known that he presents lengthy translations, particularly from Schelling, as his own work. Thomas de Quincey compares this to kleptomania, although Coleridge's defenders attribute it to his poor organisation of notes rather than dishonesty. He wrote both political commentary and hack journalism for several newspapers, especially during the Napoleonic wars. He translated two of Friedrich Schiller's plays from the German and himself wrote several dramas (''Zapolya'' had successful runs in London and Bristol). He also worked as a teacher and tutor, gave public lectures and sermons, and almost single-handedly wrote and published two periodicals, the ''Watchman'' and the ''Friend''. During his life, he was famous as a conversationalist. His letters, ''Table Talk'', and range of friends reflect the breadth of his interests. In addition to literary people such as William Wordsworth and Charles Lamb, his friends included Humphry Davy the chemist, industrialists such as the tanner Thomas Poole and members of the Josiah Wedgwood II family, Alexander Ball the military governor of Malta, the American painter Washington Allston, and the physician James Gillman. It was in all probability Charles Lamb who introduced Coleridge to the writings of Sir Thomas Browne. Browne's learning, literary style and personality impressed Coleridge and Thomas De Quincey and both were aware of Browne's drowsy opiate imagery. Coleridge not only annotated Browne's major literary works, but in his correspondence exclaimed, "O to write a character of this man!" == Family connections == Coleridge was the father of Hartley Coleridge and Sara Coleridge, and grandfather of Herbert Coleridge and Ernest Hartley Coleridge. He was the uncle of John Duke Coleridge, 1st Baron Coleridge. The poet Mary Coleridge was a relation but not a descendant. == Further reading == === By Coleridge === * ''The Collected Works'' in 16 volumes (some are double volumes), many editors, Routledge & Kegan Paul and also Bollingen Series LXXV, Princeton University Press (1971-2001) * ''The Notebooks'' in 5 (or 6) double volumes, eds. Kathleen Coburn and others, Routledge and also Bollingen Series L, Princeton University Press (1957-1990) * ''Collected Letters'' in 6 volumes, ed. E. L. Griggs, Clarendon Press: Oxford (1956-1971) === About and around Coleridge === * Biography by Richard Holmes: ''Coleridge: Early Visions'', Viking Penguin: New York, 1990 (republished later by HarperCollins) ISBN 0375705406; ''Coleridge: Darker Reflections'', HarperCollins: London, 1998 ISBN 0375708383 * Memoir by Thomas de Quincey: ''Recollections of the Lakes and the Lake Poets'' ISBN 0140439730 * Science fiction by Douglas Adams: ''Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency'' ISBN 0671746723 * Fantasy by Tim Powers: ''The Anubis Gates'' == Further viewing == * Film directed by Julien Temple: ''Pandaemonium (movie)'' (the film is not truly historical, and quite damning to Wordsworth) == External links == * [http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/stc/Coleridge/stc.html The Coleridge Archive] ** [http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/stc/Coleridge/poems/Rime_Ancient_Mariner.html Rime of the Ancient Mariner] ** [http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/stc/Coleridge/poems/Christabel.html Christabel] ** [http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/stc/Coleridge/poems/Kubla_Khan.html Kubla Khan] ** [http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/stc/Coleridge/poems/Lime_Tree_Bower.html This Lime Tree Bower My Prison] ** [http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/stc/Coleridge/poems/Frost_at_Midnight.html Frost at Midnight] ** [http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/stc/Coleridge/poems/Dejection_An_Ode.html Dejection] ** [http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/stc/Coleridge/poems/Pains_of_Sleep.html The Pains of Sleep] * [http://www.library.utoronto.ca/utel/rp/authors/coleridg.html Works of Coleridge at the University of Toronto] * [http://vos.ucsb.edu/browse.asp?id=2268 Coleridge web resources at Voice of the Shuttle] * [http://www.catherinemwallace.com/default.asp?ID=32 Essays by scholar Catherine M. Wallace on Coleridge] * [http://www.poetseers.org/the_romantics/samuel_taylor_coleridge/samp Selection of Poems by Coleridge ] * [http://www.friendsofcoleridge.com/ Friends of Coleridge Society] 1772 births 1834 deaths English poets Romanticism Samuel Taylor Coleridge==Source?== To whoever added the biography: What's the source? Is it in the public domain? It sounds rather like 19th-century English, so it probably wasn't written recently. It's also not complete accurate, again reminiscent of something written in the 19th or early 20th centuries. Please clarify? -- User:Marj Tiefert 07:31 Feb 5, 2003 (UTC) :I'm not sure where the text is from, but it reads like it could be from a 1911 Encyclopedia, which would be copyright-fine, and explain your concerns about language and accuracy. Article's beginning to look somewhat better :) User:Atorpen 03:41 Feb 6, 2003 (UTC) ::Thanks! :) -- User:Marj Tiefert 00:03 Feb 9, 2003 (UTC) ==New material== I've done a series of edits adding some links and references, and adding details on his childhood and the opium question. User:Markalexander100 08:27, 25 Feb 2004 (UTC) ==Garbled sentence== ''The sections in which Coleridge's definitions of the nature of poetry and the imagination – his famous distinction between primary and secondary imagination on the one hand and fancy on the other – are especially interesting.'' This doesn't make sense, what should it say? - User:Arpingstone 21:40, 2 Aug 2004 (UTC) :Fixed, I think. User:Markalexander100 03:04, 3 Aug 2004 (UTC) == last modification is garbage? == Seems to me that the last modification to the wiki just made the page a mess... --User:66.11.160.167 21:10, 19 Jan 2005 (UTC) == Skin? == I know I heard something a few years ago about the discovery of a lost Coleridge manuscript, written on what they thought might be a large flap of Coleridge's skin. Anyone know any more about this? User:DragonflySixtyseven 15:39, 22 May 2005 (UTC) See other meanings of words starting from letter: SSB | SC | SD | SE | SF | SG | SH | SI | SJ | SK | SL | SM | SN | SO | SP | SR | SS | ST | SU | SW | SX | SY | SZ |Words begining with Samuel_Taylor_Coleridge: Samuel_Taylor_Coleridge Samuel_Taylor_Coleridge |
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