Biographia Literaria by Samuel Taylor Coleridge

This is a new, full annotated critical edition of this crucial Romantic text, with all allusions traced. Coleridge's Biographia is part literary autobiography, part philosophical treatise, part critical exegesis on poetry and genius. It has long held scholars in its thrall and its merits have been equally praised, and also dismissed, as the production of excessive opium use by the declining author of The Rime of the Ancient Mariner and Kubla Khan. This edition of the Biographia supersedes all previous editions. Crucially, it takes into consideration three decades of research and scholarship on Coleridge and includes all Coleridge's references and allusions, including those listed as missing or untraceable in past editions. In tracing all unattributed references in the British Library, Adam Roberts has in some cases opened up whole new avenues of interpretation for the text, materially altering the way we read this classic work. It is likely to stand as the definitive textual edition for many years to come. It includes all allusions and quotations, fully traced, some of which alter the way we view this classic work. It offers a detailed Critical Introduction, Textual Introduction, Endnotes and Bibliography. It includes the text of the Biographia Literaria in full, including Coleridge's notes and editorial footnotes.