Samuel Taylor Coleridge Questions and Answers
Samuel Taylor Coleridge
How do Wordsworth's and Coleridge's poetry styles compare?
Wordsworth and Coleridge are both groundbreaking poets whose poetry rejects Neoclassic subjects and form. However, Wordsworth's most famous poetry emphasizes simple and everyday interactions with...
Samuel Taylor Coleridge
What is Samuel Taylor Coleridge's concept of a good poet?
Samuel Taylor Coleridge's concept of a good poet, as described in "Biographia Literaria", is someone who can create a poem that gives equal pleasure from its individual parts and the whole. This...
Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Analyze the supernatural elements in Coleridge's poetry.
The supernatural elements in Coleridge's poetry include Christian beliefs, folk traditions, and opium-induced hallucinations, as seen in works like "Kubla Khan" and "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner."...
Samuel Taylor Coleridge
The concept of "The willing suspension of disbelief" in Coleridge's poetry
The concept of "the willing suspension of disbelief" in Coleridge's poetry refers to the reader's ability to accept fantastical elements as plausible within the context of the poem. Coleridge...
Samuel Taylor Coleridge
How does Samuel Taylor Coleridge differentiate between fancy and imagination?
In his 1817 work Biographia Literaria, Samuel Taylor Coleridge distinguished between "fancy" and "imagination." He saw fancy as a logical way of organizing sensory material without really...
Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Why does the speaker in "Youth and Age" claim that youth hasn't left him?
The speaker says that youth has not left him in "Youth and Age" because even though his body has aged, he still feels young at heart.
Samuel Taylor Coleridge
What is the main idea and themes of "The Good, Great Man" by Samuel Taylor Coleridge?
The main idea of the poem "The Good, Great Man" by Samuel Taylor Coleridge is that goodness and greatness are rewards in themselves, and a lack of material wealth and fame does not diminish the...
Samuel Taylor Coleridge
What's the difference between Coleridge's and Wordsworth's vision of nature?
Coleridge and Wordsworth had differing views on nature, despite both being key figures in Romanticism. Coleridge perceived the supernatural as an inherent aspect of nature, as seen in "The Rime of...
Samuel Taylor Coleridge
What are the themes in Coleridge's "Youth and Age"?
The themes in Coleridge's "Youth and Age" encompass the lamentation of lost youth and the steadfast grip on youthful hope despite physical aging. The poem reflects on how poetry and hope were...
Samuel Taylor Coleridge
What does the "breathing house" symbolize in Coleridge's "Youth and Age"?
The "breathing house" is a metaphor that stands for the human body.
Samuel Taylor Coleridge
What is the role of imagination in Coleridge's "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" and "Kubla Khan"?
Imagination is important to the author of "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" and "Kubla Khan" and the person reading them. If Samuel Taylor Coleridge lacked imagination, he might have been unable to...
Samuel Taylor Coleridge
How does the poem "Youth and Age" by Samuel Taylor Coleridge portray hope as a bee?
In "Youth and Age," Coleridge portrays hope as a bee by using the simile "Hope clung feeding, like a bee," suggesting that hope, like a bee, draws out life's sweetness and spreads vitality. This...
Samuel Taylor Coleridge
How does Coleridge's poem "The Dungeon" incite readers to engage in his era's politics?
Coleridge's poem "The Dungeon" engages readers with the politics of his era by criticizing the harsh effects of unchecked capitalism and industrialism. Through the metaphor of a dungeon, he depicts...
Samuel Taylor Coleridge
What is Coleridge's attitude towards nature in "Kubla Khan" and "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner"?
Both poems show Coleridge's attitude to nature, which is that it can be beautiful but dangerous as well.
Samuel Taylor Coleridge
What are key similarities and differences between "Kubla Khan" and "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner"?
Both "Kubla Khan" and "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" showcase Coleridge's lyrical style, vivid imagery, and historical themes. However, they differ in completion, structure, and genre. "Kubla...
Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Discuss Samuel Taylor Coleridge's role as a literary critic.
Samuel Taylor Coleridge's role as a literary critic is significant, particularly for his theories on imagination and literary interpretation. In Biographia Literaria, he distinguished between primary...
Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Summarize Samuel Taylor Coleridge's review of The Monk.
Coleridge finds Lewis's novel to be a "cheap," gaudy, and immoral piece of fiction. Coleridge's criticism of Lewis's work is interesting, because he both acknowledges the novelist's talent while...
Samuel Taylor Coleridge
How does the supernatural feature in Coleridge's "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" and "Kubla Khan"?
In "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner," the supernatural is evident through elements like the mystical albatross and the sailors' cursed fate after its death, which brings about unnatural phenomena....
Samuel Taylor Coleridge
How does "Willing Suspension of Disbelief" apply to the audience-performer relationship?
The concept of "willing suspension of disbelief," as defined by Coleridge, empowers performers to include supernatural elements in their art, encouraging audiences to accept imaginative and...
Samuel Taylor Coleridge
What makes Samuel Taylor Coleridge's poetry romantic?
Samuel Taylor Coleridge's poetry is considered Romantic due to its emphasis on emotion, nature, and the supernatural. Romanticism favored the dignity of the common person and viewed nature as a...
Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Why study Samuel Taylor Coleridge's "On the Slave Trade" as literature in 2014?
Studying Coleridge's "On the Slave Trade" in 2014 is relevant for its historical and contemporary insights into racial and economic injustices. Coleridge's speech tackled the moral and economic...
Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Why is the youth called a "masker bold" in Coleridge's "Youth and Age"?
The youth is called a "masker bold" in Coleridge's "Youth and Age" because the speaker personifies youth as a deceptive force that pretends to leave him with an aging body as a disguise. Despite the...
Samuel Taylor Coleridge
How does Coleridge exemplify Romantic poets?
Coleridge was representative of Romantic poets in his use of nature and fantastical themes, the willing suspension of disbelief, and the blurred lines between dreams and reality.
Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Is Samuel Taylor Coleridge a pessimist?
Samuel Taylor Coleridge exhibits both pessimistic and optimistic tendencies. While some of his works, like "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner," display fatalism and the impact of inadvertent actions,...
Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Which of Coleridge's poems best exemplifies his Romantic style?
Coleridge's poem "Kubla Khan" best exemplifies his Romantic style. This poem showcases key Romantic elements such as the emphasis on dreams, visions, and the subjective experience. It highlights the...