The Lake Poets

The Rime of the Ancient Mariner
Poem by Samuel Taylor Coleridge hone his craft. Troubled by debt, though, he left Cambridge in 1793 and enlisted in the 15th Dragoons, a British army regiment, under the alias Silas Tomkyn Comberbache. After being rescued by his brothers, Coleridge returned to Cambridge, but he left again, in 1794, without having earned a degree. That year, Coleridge met the author Robert Southey, and together they dreamed about establishing a utopian community in the Pennsylvania wilderness of America. Southey, however, backed out of the project, and their dream was never realized.

notable quote
“No man was ever yet a great poet, without being at the same time a profound philosopher.”

fyi
Did you know that Samuel Taylor Coleridge . . . • developed a fascination with the supernatural at age five? • was known as a brilliant and captivating conversationalist? • was the most influential literary critic of his day? • liked to write poetry while walking?

Samuel Taylor Coleridge
1772–1834

Samuel Taylor Coleridge is famous for composing “Kubla Khan” and “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner,” considered two of the greatest English poems. As a critic and philosopher, he may have done more than any other writer to spread the ideas of the English romantic movement.
Precocious Reader The youngest of ten

For more on Samuel Taylor Coleridge, visit the Literature Center at ClassZone.com.

children, Coleridge grew up feeling rejected by his distant mother and bullied by his older brother Frank. These early experiences gave rise to feelings of insecurity and loneliness that plagued Coleridge throughout life. Despite his self-doubt, Coleridge was an exceptional student who impressed classmates with his eloquence, his knowledge of classical languages, and his flair for writing poetry.
Restless Youth At Cambridge University, Coleridge