Coleridge and Southey envisioned the men sharing the workload, a great library, philosophical discussions, and freedom of religious and political beliefs.Īfter finally visiting Wales, Coleridge returned to England to find that Southey had become engaged to a woman named Edith Fricker. Influenced by Plato’s Republic, they constructed a vision of pantisocracy-equal government by all, which involved emigrating to the New World with ten other families to set up a commune on the banks of the Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania. Striking an instant friendship, Coleridge postponed his trip for several weeks, and the men shared their philosophical ideas. Financial problems continued to plague him throughout his life, and he constantly depended on the support of others.Įn route to Wales in June 1794, Coleridge met a student named Robert Southey. While at Cambridge, Coleridge also accumulated a large debt, which his brothers eventually had to pay off.
He became a supporter of William Frend, a Fellow at the college whose Unitarian beliefs made him a controversial figure. Coleridge’s views, however, began to change over the course of his first year at Cambridge. Coleridge fell in love with Tom’s older sister, Mary.Ĭoleridge’s father had always wanted his son to be a clergyman, so when Coleridge entered Jesus College, University of Cambridge in 1791, he focused on a future in the Church of England. While in London, he also befriended a classmate named Tom Evans, who introduced Coleridge to his family. After his father died in 1781, Coleridge attended Christ’s Hospital School in London, where he met lifelong friend Charles Lamb. The youngest child in the family, Coleridge was a student at his father’s school and an avid reader. His father, a vicar of a parish and master of a grammar school, married twice and had fourteen children.
Samuel Taylor Coleridge, a leader of the British Romantic movement, was born on October 21, 1772, in Devonshire, England.
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