Romantic Poets

William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge are two poets whose poetic endeavors are inextricably linked in the history of romantic poetry. Although Coleridge and Wordsworth collaborated in Lyrical Ballads (1798), both poets were considerably different in their approach to poetry. Wordsworth for instance, was not particularly concerned with the supernatural, while Coleridge was very involved in the subject. When the two poets decided to publish a volume of verse, they agreed on their personal poetic principles.

Wordsworth's approach was more typically romantic than Coleridge's objectives. Nature to Wordsworth, was alive, powerful, and healthy; for Coleridge, it was powerful, and healthy. Coleridge, in the two poems discussed in this essay, was more concerned with the supernatural aspects of existence.

Wordsworth declared his poetic credo in his 'Preface' to the second edition of Lyrical Ballads (1800). This is a basic and major voicing of the spirit of English romanticism. The emphasis moves from the relationship between poem and reader to that between reader and poem. As Wordsworth states: "The principle object then, proposed in these poems was to choose incidents and situations from common life, and to relate or describe them

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nerated in completely satisfying objective terms. In a sense, 'The Ancient Mariner' is an allegory of the entire human race. Since mankind first walked on the face of the earth, the human animal has been committing sins against God or nature. The story of Adam and Eve from Genesis is a good example of the archetype at work. The ancient Mariner is released from his curse by blessing in his heart, regardless of his lonely anguish, the beauty of the mysterious water-snakes. His salvation is effected by the opening of his soul to God's created creatures. As Joseph Campbell points out: "The happy ending of the fairy tale, the myth, and the divine comedy of the soul, is a tale read, not as a contradiction, but as a transcendence of the universal tragedy of man" (Campbell 28). The story of the ancient Mariner and the good and evil involved are really what humanity or Everyman must endure. We all have an Albatross around our necks until we find enlightenment. The poor Wedding Guest is stuck with having to endure the story that the ancient Mariner must inflict upon him. Bad news can be terrifying, particularly when it comes in that form. Turning to another poem, we find that good and evil is the basic problem in 'Christabe
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Approximate Word count = 1665
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page)

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