1. Coleridge andThe Rime of the Ancient Mariner

2. Samuel Taylor Coleridge 1772-1834 Youngest of 10 Father died when he was 9, sentto school in London Attended CambridgeUniversity, became a publicspeaker Involved in politics, wanted tocreate Utopian settlement Friends with William Wordsworth(London, 1802) 3. Samuel Taylor Coleridge In his writing he wanted to discover the truths of the human soul celebrated the strange and exotic mixes elements of a fantasy world with reality Creativity dulled by use of painkillers treating hisasthma and rheumatism Moved to warmer climates to improve health, but thisdoesnt work marriage collapses, loses friends Kept writing during darkest days, huge influence onother Romantic authors 4. Poetic Sound Devices Alliteration: repetition of consonant sound at beginnings of words The fair breeze blew, the white foam flew Consonance: repetition of final consonant sounds a frightful fiend / Doth close behind Assonance: repetition of vowel sound The western wave was all aflame. Internal rhyme: use of rhymes within one line With heavy thump, a lifeless lump 5. Language of Fantasy Exotic-sounding place names Xanadu Archaic words: terms no longer in common use eftsoons =immediately 6. The Rime of the Ancient Mariner An old Mariner (sailor)meets some men on theirway to a wedding The Mariner stops one ofthe men to tell him a story Recounts a tale of his crimeagainst life (killing an Albatrossalbatross) and the physicaland emotional punishmentsthat resulted