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From the time he was very young, Coleridge hoped he would be remembered as a poet; masterpieces such as "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner," "Kubla Khan," and "Frost at Midnight" assured that his dream would come true. These verses, and the 32 others in this extraordinary collection, testify to the genius and power of his writing. From the time Coleridge produced his first volume of poetry in 1796 till his death in 1834, he created works as diverse as "The Eolian Harp," which begins as a sweet love poem but by the end becomes something much more; "To a Critic," a sharp rebuke to those who cruelly tear apart and misinterpret the poet's work; and the unfinished narrative verse, "Christabel."
Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s selected poems capture the tension between the rational world and the haunting, supernatural landscapes of the human imagination. Through a variety of forms, including ballads, conversation poems, and fragments, the speaker navigates themes of isolation, creative inspiration, and the sublime. The narrative framework shifts between the intimate, domestic observations of the poet and the expansive, dream-like visions that define his most famous works. These verses challenge the reader to reconcile the beauty of the natural world with the darker, often uncontrollable impulses of the mind.
Coleridge’s work is widely regarded as a cornerstone of the Romantic movement, celebrated for its technical precision and its ability to bridge the gap between the mundane and the mystical. Readers often highlight the haunting atmosphere of his longer narrative poems, noting how they persist in the cultural consciousness long after the initial reading. The collection is frequently analyzed for its profound influence on subsequent generations of poets who sought to explore the boundaries of the human psyche. Critics and scholars alike emphasize the enduring relevance of his thematic focus on the isolation of the individual within an indifferent universe. This selection serves as a vital entry point for those seeking to understand the depth and breadth of his poetic legacy.
Page Count:
357
Publication Date:
1996-01-01
Publisher:
HarperCollins
ISBN-10:
0002555794
ISBN-13:
9780002555791
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