Eco-ethical Interpretation Of Coleridgean The Rime Of The Ancient Mariner

Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834) is an outstanding British Romantic poet, critic and philosopher in the early 19th century, one of the representative poets among the "Lake Poets" as well. He regards nature as the soul of creation, with his poetry born from nature but also kept for nature, embodying the value of its own. The Rime of the Ancient Mariner published by Coleridge in the 1798 book Lyrical Ballads is an eco-allegorical poem, the contents of which stems from nature yet signifies far beyond a direct copying of it, focusing on the good of the non-human living entities, criticizing the negative impacts that human beings exert on nature, which is of profound eco-ethical significance.The eco-ethical outlook reflected in this Coleridgean poem is quite enlightening, providing people with infinite space to re-perceive and evaluate nature, arousing more profound sensitivity and then developing the attitude of respect towards nature from people, which can never be surpassed by any of its contemporaries.In light of the biocentric outlook of Paul Taylor, the representative of non-anthropocentrism who advocates biocentric egalitarianism, and the philosophical concepts of Coleridge, the thesis bases its analysis on the preconditions of the eco-ethical connotation, penetrates the natural world of eco-ethical characteristics, analyzes human beings in the eco-ethical relationship, and probes the construction of eco-ethical concordance. Through detailed and comprehensive analysis of the poem, the view of this thesis can be expressed as, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner exhibits the eco-ethical characteristics of biocentric egalitarianism, unfurling to the public the necessity of subverting anthropocentric superiority, awakening human beings an attitude of respect for nature and providing specific strategies and orientation for constructing eco-ethical concordance.