Samuel Taylor Coleridge

"Coleridge" redirects here. For other uses, see Coleridge (disambiguation).
This article is about the poet. For the composer, see Samuel Coleridge-Taylor.

Samuel Taylor Coleridge
1795 portrait by Peter Vandyke
1795 portrait by Peter Vandyke
Born(1772-10-21)21 October 1772
Ottery St Mary, Devon, England
Died25 July 1834(1834-07-25) (aged 61)
Highgate, Middlesex, England
Occupation
  • Poet
  • philosopher
  • critic
  • moralist
  • theologian
Alma materJesus College, Cambridge
Subject
Literary movementRomanticism
Notable works
Spouse
Sara Fricker
​
(m. 1795)​
Children4, including Hartley, Sara and Derwent
RelativesJames Coleridge (brother)
Signature

Samuel Taylor Coleridge (/ˈkoʊlərɪdʒ/ KOH-lə-rij;[1] 21 October 1772 – 25 July 1834) was an English poet, literary critic, philosopher, and theologian who was a founder of the Romantic Movement in England and a member of the Lake Poets with his friend William Wordsworth. He also shared volumes and collaborated with Charles Lamb, Robert Southey, and Charles Lloyd.

He wrote the poems The Rime of the Ancient Mariner and Kubla Khan, as well as the major prose work Biographia Literaria. His critical works were highly influential, especially in relation to William Shakespeare, and he helped introduce German idealist philosophy to English-speaking cultures. Coleridge coined many familiar words and phrases, including "suspension of disbelief".[2] He had a major influence on Ralph Waldo Emerson and American transcendentalism. Throughout his adult life, Coleridge had crippling bouts of anxiety and depression; it has been speculated that he had bipolar disorder, which had not been defined during his lifetime.[3] He was physically unhealthy, which may have stemmed from a bout of rheumatic fever and other childhood illnesses. He was treated for these conditions with laudanum, which fostered a lifelong opium addiction.

Coleridge had a turbulent career and personal life with a variety of highs and lows, but his public esteem grew after his death, and he became considered one of the most influential figures in English literature. For instance, a 2018 report by The Guardian labelled him "a genius" who had progressed into "one of the most renowned English poets." Organisations such as the Church of England celebrate his work during public events, such as a "Coleridge Day" in June, with activities including literary recitals.[4]

  1. ^ "Coleridgean Morsels | Sundry | Coleridge Corner". inamidst.com. Retrieved 30 July 2018.
  2. ^ See J C McKusick '"Living Words": Samuel Taylor Coleridge and the Genesis of the OED', Modern Philology, 90.1 (1992), which notes that the OED first edition (1884–1928) cites Coleridge for 3,569 words, many of which he coins.
  3. ^ Jamison, Kay Redfield. Touched with Fire: Manic-Depressive Illness and the Artistic Temperament. Free Press (1994), 219–224.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).