Introduction - The Life of a Genius
Samuel Taylor Coleridge was born on October 21st, 1772, in Devonshire, England. His father, John Coleridge, was a vicar of a parish and master of a grammar school. After his father died in 1781, Coleridge attended Christ's Hospital School in London, where he met lifelong friend Charles Lamb.
Coleridge's father had always wanted his son to be a clergyman, so when Coleridge entered Jesus College, at the University of Cambridge in 1791. Coleridge's Christian views as he became a supporter of William Frend, a Fellow (an elite academic) at the college whose Unitarian (naming God as one person, not ‘persons’) beliefs made him a controversial figure.
En route to Wales in June 1794, Coleridge met a student named Robert Southey. Influenced by Plato's Republic, they constructed a vision of pantisocracy (equal government by all), which involved immigrating to the New World (America) with ten other families to set up a commune. Coleridge and Southey envisioned the men sharing the workload, a great library, philosophical discussions, and freedom of religious and political beliefs.
After finally visiting Wales, Coleridge returned to England to find that Southey had become engaged to a woman named Edith Fricker. As marriage was an integral part of the plan for communal living in the New World, Coleridge decided to marry another Fricker daughter, Sarah. Coleridge's marriage was unhappy and he spent much of it apart from his wife.
While the pantisocracy was still in the planning stages, Southey abandoned the project to pursue his legacy in law. Left without an alternative plan, Coleridge spent the next few years beginning his career as a writer. He never returned to Cambridge to finish his degree.
Due to increasing nervousness and stress, Coleridge turned to opium, in search for a drug that could relax his nerves and reverse his depression. Laudanum, a mixture of opium and alcohol, soon became Coleridge’s source of literary genius, as he experienced opium dreams of complete imagination. This addiction would lead to his financial and physical downfall.
In 1795 Coleridge befriended William Wordsworth, who greatly influenced Coleridge's verse. Coleridge, whose early work was celebratory and conventional, began writing in a more natural style. In his "conversation poems," such as Frost at Midnight and This Lime-Tree Bower my Prison, Coleridge used his intimate friends, such as Charles Lamb, and their experiences as subjects. From 1797 to 1798 he lived near Wordsworth and his sister, Dorothy, in Somersetshire. In 1798 the two men collaborated on a joint volume of poetry entitled Lyrical Ballads. The collection is considered the first great work of the Romantic school of poetry and contains Coleridge's famous poem, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.
In 1798 the two poets travelled to the Continent together. Coleridge spent most of the trip in Germany, studying the philosophy of Immanuel Kant, Jakob Boehme, and G.E. Lessing. While there he mastered the German language and began translating. When he returned to England in 1800, he settled with family and friends at Keswick. Over the next two decades Coleridge lectured on literature and philosophy, wrote about religious and political theory, spent two years on the island of Malta in an effort to overcome his poor health and his opium addiction, and lived off of financial donations and grants.
Still addicted to opium, he moved in with the physician James Gillman in 1816. In 1817, he published Biographia Literaria, which contained his finest literary criticism. He continued to publish poetry and prose, notably Sibylline Leaves (1817), Aids to Reflection (1825), and Church and State (1830). He died in London on July 25th, 1834 aged 61.
Though he's really only known today for his poetry, Coleridge’s contributions to the field of criticism and our language were many. For instance, he not only coined the word 'selfless,' he introduced the word 'aesthetic' to the English language. Coleridge summed himself up this way, in the epitaph he wrote for himself:
Beneath this sod
A Poet lies; or that which once was he.
O lift one thought in prayer for S.T.C.
That he, who many a year with toil of breath,
Found Death in Life, may here find Life in Death.
Coleridge's father had always wanted his son to be a clergyman, so when Coleridge entered Jesus College, at the University of Cambridge in 1791. Coleridge's Christian views as he became a supporter of William Frend, a Fellow (an elite academic) at the college whose Unitarian (naming God as one person, not ‘persons’) beliefs made him a controversial figure.
En route to Wales in June 1794, Coleridge met a student named Robert Southey. Influenced by Plato's Republic, they constructed a vision of pantisocracy (equal government by all), which involved immigrating to the New World (America) with ten other families to set up a commune. Coleridge and Southey envisioned the men sharing the workload, a great library, philosophical discussions, and freedom of religious and political beliefs.
After finally visiting Wales, Coleridge returned to England to find that Southey had become engaged to a woman named Edith Fricker. As marriage was an integral part of the plan for communal living in the New World, Coleridge decided to marry another Fricker daughter, Sarah. Coleridge's marriage was unhappy and he spent much of it apart from his wife.
While the pantisocracy was still in the planning stages, Southey abandoned the project to pursue his legacy in law. Left without an alternative plan, Coleridge spent the next few years beginning his career as a writer. He never returned to Cambridge to finish his degree.
Due to increasing nervousness and stress, Coleridge turned to opium, in search for a drug that could relax his nerves and reverse his depression. Laudanum, a mixture of opium and alcohol, soon became Coleridge’s source of literary genius, as he experienced opium dreams of complete imagination. This addiction would lead to his financial and physical downfall.
In 1795 Coleridge befriended William Wordsworth, who greatly influenced Coleridge's verse. Coleridge, whose early work was celebratory and conventional, began writing in a more natural style. In his "conversation poems," such as Frost at Midnight and This Lime-Tree Bower my Prison, Coleridge used his intimate friends, such as Charles Lamb, and their experiences as subjects. From 1797 to 1798 he lived near Wordsworth and his sister, Dorothy, in Somersetshire. In 1798 the two men collaborated on a joint volume of poetry entitled Lyrical Ballads. The collection is considered the first great work of the Romantic school of poetry and contains Coleridge's famous poem, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.
In 1798 the two poets travelled to the Continent together. Coleridge spent most of the trip in Germany, studying the philosophy of Immanuel Kant, Jakob Boehme, and G.E. Lessing. While there he mastered the German language and began translating. When he returned to England in 1800, he settled with family and friends at Keswick. Over the next two decades Coleridge lectured on literature and philosophy, wrote about religious and political theory, spent two years on the island of Malta in an effort to overcome his poor health and his opium addiction, and lived off of financial donations and grants.
Still addicted to opium, he moved in with the physician James Gillman in 1816. In 1817, he published Biographia Literaria, which contained his finest literary criticism. He continued to publish poetry and prose, notably Sibylline Leaves (1817), Aids to Reflection (1825), and Church and State (1830). He died in London on July 25th, 1834 aged 61.
Though he's really only known today for his poetry, Coleridge’s contributions to the field of criticism and our language were many. For instance, he not only coined the word 'selfless,' he introduced the word 'aesthetic' to the English language. Coleridge summed himself up this way, in the epitaph he wrote for himself:
Beneath this sod
A Poet lies; or that which once was he.
O lift one thought in prayer for S.T.C.
That he, who many a year with toil of breath,
Found Death in Life, may here find Life in Death.
Samuel Taylor Coleridge: The Rap
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ML9hgS_Bni8 <---- Go here to read the lyrics to this rap. This video summaries Coleridge's life in a simple and hilarious form.
Prescribed Poetry
Rime of the Ancient Mariner - Read HERE
This Lime-Tree Bower my Prison - Read HERE
Frost at Midnight - Read HERE
Kubla Khan - Read HERE
This Lime-Tree Bower my Prison - Read HERE
Frost at Midnight - Read HERE
Kubla Khan - Read HERE
Themes and Ideas
The four prescribed poems for Coleridge have consistent themes, motifs and symbols which run through all of them, and also have unique ideas which have sprung from many of Coleridge’s influences.
Themes
· The transformative power of the imagination
· The interplay of philosophy, religious piety and poetry
· Nature and the development of the individual
Motifs
· Conversation poems
· Delight in the natural world
· Prayer
Symbols
· The Sun
· The Moon
· Dreams and dreaming
· Childhood
· Innocence
· Happiness
· Evening/Night
Themes
· The transformative power of the imagination
· The interplay of philosophy, religious piety and poetry
· Nature and the development of the individual
Motifs
· Conversation poems
· Delight in the natural world
· Prayer
Symbols
· The Sun
· The Moon
· Dreams and dreaming
· Childhood
· Innocence
· Happiness
· Evening/Night
Paradigms
Philosophical - G. E. Lessing
Gotthold Ephraim Lessing (22 January 1729 – 15 February 1781) was a German writer, philosopher, dramatist, publicist and art critic, and one of the most outstanding representatives of the Enlightenment era. His plays and theoretical writings substantially influenced the development of German literature.
In his religious and philosophical writings he defended the faithful Christian's right for freedom of thought. He argued against the belief in revelation and the holding on to a literal interpretation of the Bible by the predominant orthodox doctrine through a problem later to be called Lessing's Ditch. Lessing outlined the concept of the religious "Proof of Power": How can miracles continue to be used as a base for Christianity when we have no proof of miracles? Historical truths which are in doubt cannot be used to prove metaphysical truths (such as God's existence). As Lessing says it: "That, then, is the ugly great ditch which I cannot cross, however often and however earnestly I have tried to make that leap."
As a child of the Enlightenment he trusted in a "Christianity of Reason", which oriented itself by the spirit of religion. He believed that human reason (initiated by criticism and dissent) would develop, even without help by a divine revelation. The idea of freedom (for religion from the church's dogma) is his central theme throughout his life. Therefore he also stood up for the liberation of the upcoming bourgeoisie from the nobility making up their minds for them.
Religious - Jakob Böhme
Jakob Böhme (probably April 24, 1575 – November 17, 1624) was a German Christian mystic and theologian. He is considered an original thinker within the Lutheran tradition, and his first book, commonly known as Aurora, caused a great scandal.
The chief concern of Böhme's writing was the nature of sin, evil and redemption. Consistent with Lutheran theology, Böhme preached that humanity had fallen from a state of divine grace to a state of sin and suffering, that the forces of evil included fallen angels who had rebelled against God, and that God's goal was to restore the world to a state of grace.
Another place where Böhme may depart from accepted theology (though this was open to question due to his somewhat obscure, oracular style) was in his description of the Fall as a necessary stage in the evolution of the Universe. A difficulty with his theology is the fact that he had a mystical vision, which he reinterpreted and reformulated. According to F. von Ingen, to Böhme, in order to reach God, man has to go through hell first. God exists without time or space, he regenerates himself through eternity, so Böhme, who restates the trinity as truly existing but with a novel interpretation. God, the Father is fire, who gives birth to his son, whom Böhme calls light. The Holy Spirit is the living principle, or the divine life.
Economic - The Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was a a capitalist-driven, materialistic revolution where the land owners, factory managers and other capital co-ordinators rose to wealth and became the new Middle Class of all Europe. Industry began a mass urbanisation of major cities and over crowding and horrific living conditions for the lower classes resulted. The video below goes for 11 minutes, but trust me, it explain the Revolution deeply and clearly.
Gotthold Ephraim Lessing (22 January 1729 – 15 February 1781) was a German writer, philosopher, dramatist, publicist and art critic, and one of the most outstanding representatives of the Enlightenment era. His plays and theoretical writings substantially influenced the development of German literature.
In his religious and philosophical writings he defended the faithful Christian's right for freedom of thought. He argued against the belief in revelation and the holding on to a literal interpretation of the Bible by the predominant orthodox doctrine through a problem later to be called Lessing's Ditch. Lessing outlined the concept of the religious "Proof of Power": How can miracles continue to be used as a base for Christianity when we have no proof of miracles? Historical truths which are in doubt cannot be used to prove metaphysical truths (such as God's existence). As Lessing says it: "That, then, is the ugly great ditch which I cannot cross, however often and however earnestly I have tried to make that leap."
As a child of the Enlightenment he trusted in a "Christianity of Reason", which oriented itself by the spirit of religion. He believed that human reason (initiated by criticism and dissent) would develop, even without help by a divine revelation. The idea of freedom (for religion from the church's dogma) is his central theme throughout his life. Therefore he also stood up for the liberation of the upcoming bourgeoisie from the nobility making up their minds for them.
Religious - Jakob Böhme
Jakob Böhme (probably April 24, 1575 – November 17, 1624) was a German Christian mystic and theologian. He is considered an original thinker within the Lutheran tradition, and his first book, commonly known as Aurora, caused a great scandal.
The chief concern of Böhme's writing was the nature of sin, evil and redemption. Consistent with Lutheran theology, Böhme preached that humanity had fallen from a state of divine grace to a state of sin and suffering, that the forces of evil included fallen angels who had rebelled against God, and that God's goal was to restore the world to a state of grace.
Another place where Böhme may depart from accepted theology (though this was open to question due to his somewhat obscure, oracular style) was in his description of the Fall as a necessary stage in the evolution of the Universe. A difficulty with his theology is the fact that he had a mystical vision, which he reinterpreted and reformulated. According to F. von Ingen, to Böhme, in order to reach God, man has to go through hell first. God exists without time or space, he regenerates himself through eternity, so Böhme, who restates the trinity as truly existing but with a novel interpretation. God, the Father is fire, who gives birth to his son, whom Böhme calls light. The Holy Spirit is the living principle, or the divine life.
Economic - The Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was a a capitalist-driven, materialistic revolution where the land owners, factory managers and other capital co-ordinators rose to wealth and became the new Middle Class of all Europe. Industry began a mass urbanisation of major cities and over crowding and horrific living conditions for the lower classes resulted. The video below goes for 11 minutes, but trust me, it explain the Revolution deeply and clearly.
References
Samuel Taylor Coleridge Biography - Incompetech - http://incompetech.com/authors/coleridge/
Samuel Taylor Coleridge - Poets.org - http://www.poets.org/poet.php/prmPID/292
Coleridge's Poems Themes - Gradesaver - http://www.gradesaver.com/coleridges-poems/study-guide/major-themes/
Coleridge's Poetry - SparkNotes - http://www.sparknotes.com/poetry/coleridge/themes.html
Jakob Bohme - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jakob_B%C3%B6hme
Gotthold Ephraim Lessing - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gotthold_Ephraim_Lessing
Samuel Taylor Coleridge - Poets.org - http://www.poets.org/poet.php/prmPID/292
Coleridge's Poems Themes - Gradesaver - http://www.gradesaver.com/coleridges-poems/study-guide/major-themes/
Coleridge's Poetry - SparkNotes - http://www.sparknotes.com/poetry/coleridge/themes.html
Jakob Bohme - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jakob_B%C3%B6hme
Gotthold Ephraim Lessing - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gotthold_Ephraim_Lessing
Fun Links
Sorry if you thought this section was going to be fun...but this is dedicated to 'further reading', if you need to develop your understanding on S.T.C.
Romantic Writers and Opium - ThinkQuest: http://library.thinkquest.org/C0126184/english/sitemap.htm
Samuel Taylor Coleridge - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Taylor_Coleridge
English Romanticsm: Poets - English Romanticism: http://www.uh.edu/engines/romanticism/ --> these search engines for not only Coleridge, but other poets and scientists is great!
Romantics: English Literature by Period - Voice of the Shuttle: http://vos.ucsb.edu/browse.asp?id=2750 --> scroll nearly half-way and you will find S.T.C's dot-point. This site it amazing because it includes all poets, novelists such as Austen; to philosophes, scientists and even period and genre topics in Romanticism such as the Gothic.
Samuel Taylor Coleridge - Shmoop: http://www.shmoop.com/coleridge/ --> this website "speaks student", as their motto suggests. For further explanation of his life, work and influences visit Shmoop.
Romantic Writers and Opium - ThinkQuest: http://library.thinkquest.org/C0126184/english/sitemap.htm
Samuel Taylor Coleridge - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Taylor_Coleridge
English Romanticsm: Poets - English Romanticism: http://www.uh.edu/engines/romanticism/ --> these search engines for not only Coleridge, but other poets and scientists is great!
Romantics: English Literature by Period - Voice of the Shuttle: http://vos.ucsb.edu/browse.asp?id=2750 --> scroll nearly half-way and you will find S.T.C's dot-point. This site it amazing because it includes all poets, novelists such as Austen; to philosophes, scientists and even period and genre topics in Romanticism such as the Gothic.
Samuel Taylor Coleridge - Shmoop: http://www.shmoop.com/coleridge/ --> this website "speaks student", as their motto suggests. For further explanation of his life, work and influences visit Shmoop.