A sailor dooms his ship's crew by murdering an albatross and is lost at sea, alone with the burden of his guilt, until a meeting with divine messengers brings him the opportunity to do penance. Samuel Taylor Coleridge's (1772-1834) haunting parable of sin and absolution, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, is widely recognized as one of the greatest narrative poems in the English language and was a defining achievement in the establishment of the Romantic Movement. Coleridge's text is presented here alongside the classic illustrations of Gustave Dor (1832-1883), the great French engraver famous for his illustrations of Dante's Inferno, Milton's Paradise Lost, and the Bible. His imaginative and detailed illustrations are a beautiful and evocative visual compliment to this unique masterpiece of English literature.
Coleridge is such a celebrity that many who have never read "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" have a fair idea who he was, and yet the common impression of him is not flattering. He is typically seen as a youthful genius transformed by drugs and philosophy into a tedious sage. It is time for a change of image. A Book I Value offers a one-volume sampling of Coleridge's encyclopedic marginalia, revealing a figure more complex but also more humanly attractive--clever, curious, playful, intense--than the one we are used to. This book makes a convenient introduction to Coleridge's life, the intellectual issues and contemporary concerns that held his attention, and the workings of his mind. The marginalia represent an unintimidating sort of writing that Coleridge famously excelled at (often in books borrowed from friends). "A book, I value," he wrote, "I reason & quarrel with as with myself when I am reasoning." Unlike the complete Marginalia in six volumes arranged alphabetically by author, this representative selection is chronological and footnote-free, with a contextualizing introduction and brief headnotes that outline Coleridge's circumstances year by year and provide essential historical information. Our own cultural taboo against writing in books is slackening in light of new interest in the history of the book. It will be weakened further by the extraordinary and now accessible example of Coleridge, who was a remarkably shrewd but at the same time a remarkably charitable reader.
In this unusual selection, a poet-critic of the 20th century encounters a poet-critic of the 19th, Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834). William Empson, assisted by David Pirie, chooses from Coleridge's vast and uneven oeuvre the salient poems; he edits and annotates them. Here is a classic example of Empson's techniques of creative and scholarly reading, an introduction to the work of the most haunting poet in the English language. "The pith of my system", says Coleridge, "is to make the senses out of the mind not the mind out of the senses, as Locke did". Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834) was born in Ottery St Mary, Devon. He attended Christ's Hospital School in London as a charity boy. Charles Lamb was a junior classmate. In 1791 he went to Jesus College, Cambridge. In 1795 he met Wordsworth, with whom he composed "Lyrical Ballads". Between 1795 and 1802 he wrote his best poems and poetic torsos including "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner", "Christabel", "Frost at Midnight", "Kubla Khan" and his final masterpiece, "Dejection: An Ode".
This new edition of Coleridge's famous poem examines in depth all the topics an A level student needs to cover. However, the book is also aimed at the general reader as it avoids specialist terms. It enhances enjoyment of the poem by encouraging readers to explore different ideas and interpretations.The engravings of Gustave Dore provide atmospheric illustrations. The poem is printed in full, with the marginal notes provided by Coleridge. There is a summary of each part of the poem, as well as a commentary to aid understanding. There are also chapters on topics which will interest the general reader as well as being useful for students of the text.
"Confessions of an Inquiring Spirit" by Samuel Taylor Coleridge delves into the complexities of biblical inspiration and religious understanding. Paired with miscellaneous essays from "The Friend," this volume presents Coleridge's profound reflections on theology and the intersection of religion and science. A pivotal work of biblical criticism, Coleridge's "Confessions" explores faith through the lens of intellectual inquiry. It offers readers a timeless exploration of the Bible and its enduring influence. Coleridge's insights into faith, reason, and the scriptures remain relevant for those seeking a deeper understanding of religious thought. This meticulously prepared print edition allows readers to engage directly with Coleridge's original text. It invites exploration of his groundbreaking ideas on the nature of belief. "Confessions" serves as a cornerstone for studies in religion, literary criticism, and the ongoing dialogue between faith and reason.This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
"Confessions of an Inquiring Spirit" by Samuel Taylor Coleridge delves into the complexities of biblical inspiration and religious understanding. Paired with miscellaneous essays from "The Friend," this volume presents Coleridge's profound reflections on theology and the intersection of religion and science. A pivotal work of biblical criticism, Coleridge's "Confessions" explores faith through the lens of intellectual inquiry. It offers readers a timeless exploration of the Bible and its enduring influence. Coleridge's insights into faith, reason, and the scriptures remain relevant for those seeking a deeper understanding of religious thought. This meticulously prepared print edition allows readers to engage directly with Coleridge's original text. It invites exploration of his groundbreaking ideas on the nature of belief. "Confessions" serves as a cornerstone for studies in religion, literary criticism, and the ongoing dialogue between faith and reason.This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
