Concetti Chiave
- Samuel Taylor Coleridge was born in 1772 and studied at Cambridge, where his interests in French revolutionary politics and drinking led him away from graduation.
- Coleridge and Robert Southey planned a utopian community in America, known as a Pantisocracy, which never materialized.
- His friendship with William Wordsworth and Dorothy Wordsworth was pivotal, influencing his literary work and political views, shifting from revolutionary optimism to conservatism.
- Coleridge collaborated with Wordsworth on the Lyrical Ballads, featuring his renowned poem, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.
- In later life, Coleridge struggled with personal issues, turning to alcohol and opium, and he lived in London until his death in 1834.
What was Coleridge's early life and education like?
Samuel Taylor Coleridge was born in 1772. He studied in Cambridge but he never graduated, because he was more concerned with French revolutionary politics and heavy drinking. Coleridge met the poet Robert Southey, with whom he planned to move to America and found a Pantisocracy, an ideal community with equal rights and common ownership. The project was never realised.
Friendship with Wordsworth and political shift
Coleridge began writing. He became friendly with William Wordsworth and his sister Dorothy, with whom he established an intense friendship, very important for his literary production. Meeting Wordsworth also marked a dramatic change in Coleridge’s political ideas: after his early optimism for the French Revolution he turned conservative, because he was horrified by its violence. In 1797 Coleridge wrote one of his most famous poems, Kubla Khan. Together with Wordsworth he composed the Lyrical Ballads, which included his celebrated long poem, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.
Later life and struggles
In 1800 Coleridge settled in the Lake District, in the north-west England. He became involved in journalism and he married, but his love for another woman made him unrequited: he turned increasingly to alcohol and opium for comfort and poetic inspiration. He lived with the Wordsworths for a while, then he moved to London, where he lived for the rest of his life. He published his last works and died in 1834.
Domande da interrogazione
- What were the main influences on Coleridge's early literary career?
- What personal struggles did Coleridge face later in life, and how did they affect him?
Coleridge's early literary career was significantly influenced by his friendship with William Wordsworth and his sister Dorothy. This relationship was crucial for his literary production and marked a shift in his political views from revolutionary optimism to conservatism.
Later in life, Coleridge struggled with unrequited love, which led him to increasingly rely on alcohol and opium for comfort and inspiration. These struggles affected his personal life and literary output, as he continued to write and publish until his death in 1834.
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