Samuel Taylor Coleridge

I found Coleridge to be slightly easier to read than some of the previous authors. His rhythmic patterns made the readings much more enjoyable. I also liked how he uses small ideas to encompass larger ideas, such as in "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner".

As mentioned in the podcast, I feel that the reader is supposed to be compelled to read the story, much like the wedding guest is compelled to hear the story. On p.327 the wedding guest says that "He can not choose but hear." The guest has other things to do but is compelled to listen to the rest of the story. I, as a reader, felt the same way. Coleridge uses a rhythmic effect in his writings that makes you want to keep reading. It makes the story flow, and you can't help but be drawn to the mariner's tale.

Coleridge adds some supernatural elements to this poem. He mentions earthly spirits that are not necessarily angels. On p. 340 the mariner goes to the hermit to tell him the story as well. He feels a certain cleansing by telling the hermit, similar to the cleansing he receives from telling the wedding guest. This is supposed to somehow get him over the trials he faced, such as killing the albatross, the spirits coming, and his men dying.

Lastly, Anna Barbauld states that Coleridge's poem lacks moral because it is purely imaginative. She sees it like a ghost story or just something that is fun to read because it has a certain hypnotic effect but no moral. Coleridge argues that if there is a fault to his poem, it's that there is too much moral. I have to side with Coleridge here. He does provide a wild tale, but he also provides an important moral at the end. He says that we should be kind to all God's creation, including nature. I think he uses the tale of the mariner to help accentuate this moral. He provides a greater purpose for the story than just entertainment.