S9E29 – Jack's Bookshelf – "Coleridge", After Hours with Dr. Carolyn Weber

Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s literary legacy and his profound influence on the Romantic movement and C.S. Lewis define this exploration of his life and work. Coleridge, a prolific theologian, critic, and poet, bridged the gap between reason and imagination, famously distinguishing between the primary and secondary imagination in his *Biographia Literaria*. His works, particularly *The Rime of the Ancient Mariner* and *Kubla Khan*, demonstrate a mystical, dreamlike quality that challenges readers to move beyond logical analysis toward a deeper, numinous understanding of truth. Guest Dr. Carolyn Weber highlights Coleridge’s struggle with chronic pain and opium, which informed his dark, Gothic-tinged romanticism. His emphasis on the poet as a figure capable of seeing into the divine, combined with his reliance on metaphysical poets like John Donne, continues to shape modern literary criticism and spiritual formation.