Coolridge Essay, Research Paper

01/02/98

English IV

Mr. Hadox

Samuel Taylor Coleridge is considered to be one of the leaders of the Romantic Era, along with other writers such as William Blake and William Wordsworth. He was born on October 21, 1772 in Ottery St.Mary. He attended Jesus College University of Cambridge. He left college without a degree.

Samuel?s friend, Robert Southey and himself wrote and published, “Poems of Various Subjects” in 1796. Then after his failed marriage he published “Lyrical Ballads” with Wordworths in 1798. This piece of literature is known to mark the formal begining of English Romanticism. His writing was known for its lyrical poetry. When he wrote “Lyrical Ballads”, he was in the best time of his life. In 1798 he departed and moved to Germany. There he translated to English “Wallenstein”, by Friedrich Von Schiller. He also became addicted to opium. In 1800 he returned to England and settled in Kesirck. He became secretary to Government on the island of Malta. He again moved back to England in 1806 and did famous lectures on literature and philosophy. He also had an interest in Shakespeare and wrote on religion and political theory. He was living off of donations and grants given to him for his writings.

In 1816 he was still addicted to opium, and had no contact with his family. He moved to London and wrote “Biographia Loetaria”(1817), “Sibylline Leaves”(1817), “Aids to Reflection” (1825), and “Church and State”(1830). He died in London on July 25, 1834.

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Coleridges Poems ranged from the supernatural to domestic. Coleridge?s “Biographia Literia” is said to be the best represented piece of Romantic work. HE is one of the first to develop the theory of imagination. As a leader of the romantic era he began writing because he was repulsed by the violence and terror of being ruled under Napoleon, and with his writing he felt that he was letting the people have time to sit back and relax.

The Romantic Era which Coleridge is known form is from the years 1798-1832. IT begins with the French Revolution in 1789. There were opposing views from many different groups. The upper class, the rulers, felt threatend with the revolution while writers and poets mainly sided with the revolution. Some of them were Charles James Fox, leader of the Whig party, William Wordsworth and Emund Burke. France declared war on Austria, and the Jacobins gianed control of France. The Society breaks out. Sociey began to grow rapidly along with its economic status.

This is when the writers of the Era came in and had a strong opium. The people who once supported the Revolution now is against it and came she the dramatic changes that an Industrialized Nation can make. The writers works showed a new perspective to the people, that they were not lost in the innocence anymore. The writers of this time were interested in the common people and their dreams of the nation.

Jean-Jacques began the thought of the evil in the world that brought about the Romantic Era. Jahann Wolfgang von Geothe found pride and inspired many German writers. Wordsworth and Colerridge were among the British writers of this Era. The followers of these two British writers were called the “second generation”. They

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consisted of Lord Byron who wrote “Childe Harold?s Pilgramage. Percy Bysshe Shelly had great radical ideas and was looked down upon for this reason. John Keats was a jewel of lyrical poetry.

This literature was seen in mostly essay and novel form. There were not many theaters and plays at this time, and if there were they were comical. The Romantic Essayists wrote in, “The London Magazine”. They were Charles Lamb, William Hazlitt and Thomas De Quincey.

Then came the novelists. There were three types of novelists they were, the Gothic, manners, and historical romance. One of the most famous Gothic novels was “Frankenstein”, written by Maty Wollstonecraft Shelly, who was Percy Shelly?s wife. The most looked upon manner novelists was Jane Austen who wrote “Sense and Sensibility”. The last type, Historical novels, had there high with Sir Walter Scott.

The Romantic Era Poets wrote manly with lyric poetry, that there main concern was of the common people and there problems. Each and every writing weither be poems, novels or essay, have a reflection of how the romantic era was lived and portrayed.