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Elective English—IV Digvijay Pandya, Lovely Professional University
Notes Unit 3: The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Coleridge
CONTENTS
Objectives
Introduction
3.1 About Samuel Taylor Coleridge and his Major Works
3.2 His Later Years and Death
3.3 Poem
3.3.1 Explanation
3.3.2 Critical Analysis
3.4 Summary
3.5 Keywords
3.6 Review Questions
3.7 Further Readings
Objectives
After studying this unit, you will be able to:
Describe the Samuel Taylor Coleridge and his major works
Know How Samuel Taylor Coleridge died
Describe ‘The Rime of the Ancient Mariner’
Analyse ‘The Rime of the Ancient Mariner’
Introduction
Leader of the British Romantic movement, Samuel Taylor Coleridge was born on October 21,
1772, in Devonshire, England. His father, a master of a grammar school and a vicar of a parish,
married twice and had fourteen children. The youngest in the family, Samuel was a student at
his father’s school. He was very passionate about reading. After his father’s death in 1781,
Samuel went to Christ’s Hospital School in London, where he met his friend Charles Lamb.
Coleridge died in London in 1834 after years of disappointment and discomfort.
Written by renowned English poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner
is the longest major poem written in 1797–98. It was published in 1798 in the first edition of
Lyrical Ballads. The Rime of the Ancient Mariner is a poem that brings into light the experiences
of a sailor who has returned from a long sea voyage. This Mariner commits a heinous act that
entirely changes his life. The Mariner should also understand his actions and perform his penance.
The Mariner should also accept all of Gods’ creatures with arms wide open.
In this unit we will study more about Samuel Taylor Coleridge and the poem ‘The Rime of the
Ancient Mariner’.
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