The Life Of Samuel Taylor Coleridge

by James Gillman

The Life Of Samuel Taylor Coleridge by James Gillman is a comprehensive biography tracing the life, writings, and ideas of the Romantic poet and philosopher Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Drawing on decades of firsthand acquaintance and archival materials, Gillman assembles a chronological portrait beginning with Coleridge's Devonshire birth in 1772, through his schooling, his friendships with Southey and Lamb, his Cambridge and Bristol periods, his Germany journey, and his advanced maturities at Highgate. The work chronicles Coleridge's religious evolution from Unitarian leanings toward orthodox Christianity, his prolific poetic and critical output, including Christabel and Kubla Khan, his philosophical pursuits, and his later health struggles culminating in his final years. Gillman's narrative balances personal anecdote, literary critique, and historical context, presenting Coleridge as a mind of extraordinary range and humane sensibility who shaped English poetry and thought.

384 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2005