
Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Born: 21/10/1772 Died: 25/07/1834 Gender: Male Genre: Romantic Occupation: PoetSamuel Taylor Coleridge was one of the most influential and controversial figures of the Romantic period. His career as a poet and writer was established after he befriended fellow poet William Wordsworth. During the politically charged late 18th century, Coleridge made a name for himself both as a political radical and as an important young poet. For most of his adult life he suffered from addiction to the drugs laudanum and opium. His most famous works – ‘The Rime of the Ancient Mariner’, ‘Kubla Khan’ and ‘Christabel’ – all featured supernatural themes and exotic images.
Image source: by Peter Vandyke, oil on canvas, 1795Featured works
Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s ‘The Rime of the Ancient Mariner’
Title: ‘The Rime of the Ancient Mariner’ Published: 1798 Format: Poem Period: Romantic Genre: Romantic Learn moreRelated articles

An introduction to The Rime of the Ancient Mariner
Dr Seamus Perry describes the origins of 'The Rime of the Ancient Mariner' and considers how Coleridge uses the poem to explore ideas of sin, suffering and salvation.

The Romantics
Dr Stephanie Forward explains the key ideas and influences of Romanticism, and considers their place in the work of writers including Wordsworth, Blake, P B Shelley and Keats.

William Wordsworth’s ‘I wandered lonely as a cloud’
Often referred to as 'Daffodils', this is one of England's most famous and most quintessentially 'Romantic' poems. Although its lines are profoundly engaged with the realities of life on the ground (the flowers, the water, the wind) they are written as if from above.

William Wordsworth’s ‘Composed upon Westminster Bridge’
‘Composed upon Westminster Bridge, September 3, 1802’ is a sonnet by the Romantic poet William Wordsworth describing an early morning view of London and the River Thames. Inspiration for the poem was provided by a journey made by Wordsworth and his sister Dorothy to Calais.