Analysis Of Coleridge’s View Of Nature From The Perspective Of Eco-Criticism

Coleridge is not only one of the prominent representatives of the English Romanticism, but also a critic mature in poetic theory. Despite the lack of prolificacy in his poetic creations, of which The Rime of the Ancient Mariner is the masterpiece, he is rightly acclaimed as a great poet. A general survey of our domestic perspective of research in recent30years indicates that most critical studies center on theology, philosophy and aesthetics of his poems, and Coleridge’s view of nature contained in his poems is, unfortunately, seldom analyzed in the perspective of eco-criticism. This thesis will focus on the ecological analysis of Coleridge’s masterpiece to further elaborate the ecological consciousness and realistic significance of Coleridge’s works.In order to expound Coleridge’view of nature more clearly, this paper is divided into five parts. The Introduction centers on the realistic significance and research goal. Chapter Two offers a critical overview of Coleridge’s life, his masterpiece and its influence, exploring the political, economic and cultural backgrounds of his age to identify the reasons why his contemporaries and people in modern time would show contrasted attitudes towards his works. Chapter Three aims at eco-literary critical theory and Coleridge’s view of nature. Chapter Four explicates the aspects of delicate relationship between humans and nature by analyzing his masterpiece, unscrambling the view of nature in his way that would underscore the foresight of his view of nature. In the Conclusion, it will reaffirm the realistic meaning of reading Coleridge’s view of nature from the perspective of ecological criticism.