Dec 31, 2009

The Rime of the Ancient Mariner | The Rime of the Ancient Mariner

At a glance:

Author: Samuel Taylor Coleridge
First Published: 1798
Type of Work: Poetry
Type of Plot: Allegory
Time of Work: Late medieval period
Genres: Ghost story, Poetry, Sea story, Ballad
Subjects: Supernatural, Superstition, Sin or Original sin, Storytelling, Storms, Ships, Sailing or sailors, Birds, Weddings, Middle Ages
Locales: Oceans

Places Discussed

Kirk. Unnamed church at which the poem opens and closes. This church, as well as other sites to which the Mariner alludes—such as a lighthouse, a hill, and a harbor bay—are evidently located in the Mariner’s native country. (“Kirk” is an old and once commonly used word for church in the British Isles, especially in Scotland.) The Mariner comes to understand his place within the universe as one of many creatures that deserve honor and respect, and the church imputes a moral tone to these ideas. Indeed, the Mariner is not simply a relativist, believing...

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The Rime of the Ancient Mariner | The Rime of the Ancient Mariner

At a glance:

Places Discussed

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