Samuel Taylor Coleridge was a sensitive, highly strung individual who possessed quite a temper. He had difficulty accommodating himself to the world around him and experienced emotional instability. He felt a great world pain, suffering from a Romantic despair or ennui, and, as with many geniuses, he lacked methodical drive.

He was cursed with poor health. Bad teeth and a rheumatic or arthritic condition caused by an illness in youth, coupled with his sense of despair, led to his seeking relief in laudanum, a tincture of morphine and alcohol which was as widely used for pain relief as aspirin today. His laudanum use led to addiction.

As a highly moral man, considered to be one of the greatest Christian thinkers of the nineteenth century, he felt an overwhelming sense of guilt and worthlessness because of his addiction. He saw it as a moral failure. (The physiologically addictive qualities of the drug were unknown at that time.)

Despite his addiction, he managed to write, and despite limited output, he remains one of the greatest poets and critics in the English language. He is, perhaps, more important as a critical theoretician than as a practitioner of the art. Yet, he shows the workings of an exceptionally brilliant mind with the soul of a true poet.

The introductory material (416-18) provides a much fuller account of Coleridge's life and career. In addition, you should follow the links below in the course of your study:

• Notes on the "conversation poems"
• Notes on "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner"
• Notes on "Kubla Khan"

^© Scott Foll 2000. All rights reserved.