Samuel Taylor Coleridge, 1772 - 1834
Author of this webpage: Renée Goodvin

Samuel Taylor Coleridge was a notable Romantic poet, critic, essayist, dramatist, journalist, and opium addict.

Born in Devonshire in 1772, Coleridge's father had intended him for the parsonage. In 1781, Coleridge's father died. Upon this development, young Samuel was sent away to school at Christ's Hospital in London. Later, Samuel attended Jesus College and eventually Cambridge. Coleridge never finished his Cambridge education, leaving in 1794.

In 1796, Coleridge began a long association with William Wordsworth, which led to his most productive period of writing. Prior 1799, Coleridge traveled to Germany where he developed an interest in the German philosophers Kant, von Schelling, Wilhelm, and von Schlegel.

In 1799, Coleridge moved to Keswick. This era marked the beginning of chronic illness and the damp climate of Kewick aggravated this condition. Coleridge turned to opium as a remedy, but quickly became addicted. Eventually Coleridge turned to Dr. James Gilman in an effort to control his opium habit. As he began controlling his addiction, he entered a new period of productivity, publishing fragments of poetry and political and theological writings.

In 1834, due to complications from ill health and his opium dependence, Samuel Taylor Coleridge died.

Notable Dates in Samuel Taylor Coleridge's Life:

1772 - Coleridge is born in Devonshire

1781 - Coleridge's father dies

1782 - Coleridge is sent away to school

1794 - Coleridge leaves Cambridge

1796 - Coleridge meets William Wordsworth

1798 - Josiah and Thomas Wedgwood offer Coleridge a lifetime pension to devote himself to writing

1798 - Coleridge collaborates with Wordsworth on Lyrical Ballads, the first document of English Romanticism

1798-1800 - Coleridge composes "The Ancient Mariner," "Christabel," "Frost at Midnight," & "Kubla Khan"

Prior to 1799 - Coleridge visits Germany

1799 - Coleridge settles in Keswick

1799-1834 -

Coleridge becomes an opium addict

Coleridge lectures on poetry & Shakespeare

Coleridge & Wordsworth fall out

Dr. James Gilman helps Coleridge control his opium habit

Coleridge publishes a variety of poetical, political, and theological works

1812 - Coleridge & Wordsworth reconcile

1816 - "Christabel," "Kubla Khan: A Vision," and "The Pains of Sleep" published

1817 - Biographia Literaria published

1834 - Coleridge dies

The information for S.T. Coleridge's biography was adapted from Nineteenth-Century Literature Criticism, volume 9, pp. 128-129.

Samuel Taylor Coleridge Links:

The Samuel Taylor Coleridge Archive

Plethora of information on Samuel Taylor Coleridge's life and work maintained by the Electronic Text Center, University of Virginia Library.

STC - Quotations

Quotations by Samuel Taylor Coleridge from Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 10th ed. (1919)

STC - Criticism

Samuel Taylor Coleridge Criticism from the Internet Public Library.

Samuel Taylor Coleridge Guide

A scholarly web guide to S.T. Coleridge from literaryhistory.com.

S. T. Coleridge: An Overview

An overview of S.T. Coleridge from the "Pre-Victorian" section of The Victorian Web.

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Last updated January 28, 2005