Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772 – 1834) is one of the founders of the Romantic Movement that was created in the second half of the 18th century. As well as writing poetry, he has been influential in other areas of thinking, including introducing German idealist philosophy to the English, critiquing great literature (such as Shakespeare) and American transcendentalism. Coleridge is also known for coining many familiar phrases still in use today.
The youngest of ten children, Coleridge was often teased tormented and ridiculed by his older siblings for being favored by his father. To escape he often found himself at the library where he discovered a great fondness for poetry. Throughout his life he was plagued by anxiety and depression which ultimately caused self-medication resulting in an addiction to opium.
As a poet, Samuel Coleridge did not become the well known name that his friend William Wordsworth did, but he was most influential in Wordsworth work. Especially the Conversational Poetry that he became most well known for. Coleridge has been given credit in influencing many of the great poets since his time.
The ideals and philosophy of the romantic movement can be directly attributed to Samuel Coleridge which leaves no doubt that he knew how to use words to touch the emotions of those that read his work. He was more influential with his short poems, though he wrote several poems that are still read with admiration today. Two of his poems are considered to have an additional romantic “aura” because they remain unfinished.