ABSTRACT Genius, Heredity, and Family Dynamics. Samuel Taylor Coleridge and His Children: a Literary Biography Yolanda J. Gonz
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ABSTRACT Genius, Heredity, and Family Dynamics. Samuel Taylor Coleridge and his Children: A Literary Biography Yolanda J. Gonzalez, Ph.D. Chairperson: Stephen Prickett, Ph.D. The children of Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Hartley, Derwent, and Sara, have received limited scholarly attention, though all were important nineteenth century figures. Lack of scholarly attention on them can be blamed on their father, who has so overshadowed his children that their value has been relegated to what they can reveal about him, the literary genius. Scholars who have studied the children for these purposes all assume familial ties justify their basic premise, that Coleridge can be understood by examining the children he raised. But in this case, the assumption is false; Coleridge had little interaction with his children overall, and the task of raising them was left to their mother, Sara, her sister Edith, and Edith’s husband, Robert Southey. While studies of S. T. C.’s children that seek to provide information about him are fruitless, more productive scholarly work can be done examining the lives and contributions of Hartley, Derwent, and Sara to their age. This dissertation is a starting point for reinvestigating Coleridge’s children and analyzes their life and work. Taken out from under the shadow of Samuel Taylor Coleridge, we find that Hartley was not doomed to be a “child of romanticism” as a result of his father’s experimental approach to his education; rather, he chose this persona for himself. Conversely, Derwent is the black sheep of the family and consciously chooses not to undertake the family profession, writing poetry. Instead, he establishes a successful career as an educator and editor. Sara Coleridge, the primary inheritor of her father’s intellectual gifts, faces the challenges of female authorship but finds an acceptable avenue of self-expression in writing educational verses for children through which she can exercise her mental acumen and express her personal fears and struggles publicly. Overlooking Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s children as important figures has been a loss to nineteenth century studies. Hence, revisionary work must be done to remedy the lack of scholarly interest in the second generation of Coleridges and to recognize their not inconsiderable contributions, in both literary and intellectual terms, to later Romanticism and Victorianism. Genius, Heredity, and Family Dynamics. Samuel Taylor Coleridge and his Children: A Literary Biography by Yolanda J. Gonzalez, B.A. A Dissertation Approved by the Department of English ___________________________________ Dianna M. Vitanza, Ph.D., Chairperson Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of Baylor University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Approved by the Dissertation Committee ___________________________________ Stephen Prickett, Ph.D., Chairperson ___________________________________ Luke Ferretter, Ph.D. ___________________________________ Barry A. Harvey, Ph.D. ___________________________________ Dianna M. Vitanza, Ph.D. ___________________________________ Joshua S. King, Ph.D. Accepted by the Graduate School May 2011 ___________________________________ J. Larry Lyon, Ph.D., Dean Page bearing signatures is kept on file in the Graduate School. Copyright © 2011 by Yolanda J. Gonzalez All rights reserved TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Abbreviations ...........................................................................................................v Acknowledgments............................................................................................................. vii Dedication .......................................................................................................................... ix Chapter One: Introduction ...................................................................................................1 Chapter Two: Life at Greta Hall ........................................................................................15 Chapter Three: Hartley Coleridge, the “Child of Romanticism” .......................................40 Chapter Four: Derwent Coleridge, S. T. C.’s Forgotten Son .............................................71 Chapter Five: Sara Coleridge, the Writing Mother ..........................................................102 Chapter Six: Conclusion ..................................................................................................133 Appendix ..........................................................................................................................140 Bibliography ....................................................................................................................143 iv LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS The works listed below are cited in the text by the following abbreviations and page numbers. CF Earl Leslie Griggs, Coleridge Fille: A Biography of Sara Coleridge (London: Oxford UP, 1940). CL Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Collected Letters of Samuel Taylor Coleridge, ed. Earl Leslie Griggs, 6 vols. (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1956). Education Derwent Coleridge, The Education of the People: A Letter to the Right Hon. Sir John Coleridge. With an Appendix (London: Rivingtons, 1861). HC Earl Leslie Griggs, Hartley Coleridge: His Life and Work (London: U of London P, 1929). “Memoir” Derwent Coleridge, “Memoir of Hartley Coleridge by his Brother,” Poems by Hartley Coleridge with a Memoir of his Live by his Brother, by Hartley Coleridge, ed. Derwent Coleridge, Vol. 1, 2nd ed. (London: Edward Moxon, 1851). Minnow Mrs. Sara (Fricker) Coleridge, Minnow Among Tritons: Mrs. S. T. Coleridge’s Letters to Thomas Poole. 1799- 1834. Ed. Stephen Potter. (Bloomsbury, London: Nonesuch Press, 1934). Notebooks Samuel Taylor Coleridge, The Notebooks of Samuel Taylor Coleridge, ed. Kathleen Coburn, 3 vols. (New York: Pantheon Books, Inc., 1957). v SPP Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Selected Poetry and Prose of Coleridge, ed. Donald A. Stauffer (New York: Modern Library College Editions, 1951). vi ACKNOWLEDGMENTS No work of this length can come to be without the assistance of numerous people who are willing to lend the author their expertise. For me, the project began with a suggestion by my dissertation director, Dr. Stephen Prickett. Throughout the writing process, his comments, encouragements, and advice shaped this suggestion into my dissertation. I am deeply appreciative of the guidance he has offered and credit him for providing direction to my academic career. Additionally, I would like to recognize the members of my committee, Dr. Luke Ferretter, Dr. Barry Harvey, Dr. Joshua King, and Dr. Dianna Vitanza, who lent their insight and expertise to the completed dissertation and offered invaluable suggestions for improving and developing my thesis. Also, my former colleague, Dr. Jamie Crouse Gwynn, graciously offered her commentary on the reception of women writers in the nineteenth century, without which I could not have provided an accurate description of the challenges Sara Coleridge faced as an intellectual woman in the nineteenth century. Several librarians deserve recognition here as well. Janet Sheets, Reference Librarian at Baylor University, assisted in the acquisition of several texts that were necessary to complete my research. Eileen Bentsen helped me to track down information that I was unable to find on my own. Richard Workman, Associate Librarian in charge of manuscripts at the Harry Ransom Center, provided prompt answers to my questions regarding the use of HRC materials, while the librarians in the reading room there were eager to help and answer my questions during my research visits there. vii I would also like to thank two people who were behind the scenes throughout the course of my academic career and lent their support. The first is Dr. David Jeffrey, who recommended that I consider Baylor University for a graduate degree in English when I was still an undergraduate, and who introduced me to the work of Dr. Stephen Prickett. The second person deserves more thanks than I have space to give. My husband, Ted, has been by my side through the bulk of my graduate career. He gave up his home and his savings and sacrificed several job opportunities to ensure that I could remain in Waco to complete this degree. He has encouraged me, he has supported, and he has pushed me to succeed. Without him, I most certainly could not have completed this project. viii To TFG III, whose daily example has taught me the meaning of family. ix CHAPTER ONE Introduction When one hears the name “Coleridge,” the patriarch of the Coleridge family, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, typically comes to mind. This is hardly surprising considering his importance in British Romanticism and the role he played in importing the works of German Romantics to England. He was, quite simply, a literary genius. But when asked to name other members of the Coleridge family, most would be hard pressed to identify his kin. Those who have undertaken extensive study of S. T. C.’s life and work would fare better and should be able to name his wife, Sara, and his three surviving children, Hartley, Derwent, and Sara. However, only a small portion of these scholars could provide detailed information on the lives, interests, and activities of Coleridge’s children. Lack of scholarly interest in the second generation of Coleridges accounts for our lack of familiarity with the names of Coleridge’s offspring and, by extension, their not inconsiderable contributions, in both literary and intellectual terms, to later Romanticism