Samuel Taylor Coleridge (Bloom's Major Poets)

Coleridge's poetry often overshadows the brilliance of the other forms of writing he chose to pursue. His critical work reveals a wealth of profoundly sensitive observations and a prophetic vision of compelling authenticity. Examine some of his works and poetry, including Kubla Kahn, and his theory of secondary imagination.

Contents:

Biography of Samuel Taylor Coleridge -- Thematic analysis of "The rime of the ancient mariner" -- Critical views on "The rime of the ancient mariner." Maud Bodkin on the emotional effects of the poem ; Peter Kitson on the influence of the French Revolution ; John T. Netland on the roles of the wedding-guest and the editor ; Sarah Webster Goodwin on the wedding ceremony ; Morse Peckham on the poem as a voyage of discovery ; H. R. Rookmaaker Jr. on humanity's relationship with nature -- Thematic analysis of "Frost at midnight" -- Critical views on "Frost at midnight." James K. Chandler on Wordsworth's understanding of Coleridge ; Mary Jacobus on the continuity of the imagination ; Paul Magnuson on the poem's political context ; Jarrold E. Hogle on the poem's Gothic elements ; Jonathan Bate on political themes within the poem -- Thematic analysis of "Christabel" -- Critical views on "Christabel." Dennis M. Welch on the theme of incest in the poem ; Margery Durham on Christabel's ambiguity ; Avery F. Gaskins on the poem as both a verse drama and a Gothic parody ; Rosemary Ashton on Coleridge's indecisiveness in regards to Geraldine ; Jennifer Ford on Christabel's disturbed sleep -- Thematic analysis of "Dejection : an ode" -- Critical views on "Dejection : an ode." John Spencer Hill on classical and English ode traditions ; Harold Bloom on continuity in the poem ; Reeve Parker on the poem's formal elements in relation to its intention ; Susan Militzer Luther on interpreting the poem ; Tilottama Rajan on the poem's ambiguity -- Thematic analysis of "Kubla Khan" -- Critical views on "Kubla Khan." Anthony John Harding on Coleridge's mythmaking ; Carl R. Woodring on the poem's political context ; David Perkins on the unity between the prose preface and the poem ; Claire Miller Colombo on poetic form ; Kathleen Wheeler on the poem's relation to 18th-century garden concepts.