A review by downsophialane
Annotated Ancient Mariner: The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge

adventurous challenging dark mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix

5.0

There's a reason this ballad is so celebrated. It was surprisingly readable, despite the deliberately archaic language. Even though I've historically loved Romantic poetry, I was procrastinating my preparation for teaching "Rime" because I suppose I discriminate against maritime narratives, I suppose? But this supernatural quest is wild, and Gothic as hell. I'd recommend taking a look at the original version, first printed in 1798's Lyrical Ballads for Gustave DorĂ©'s intricate Romantic realist illustrations. 
Some of the annotations are useful, particularly in drawing connections between different parts of the poem; some annotations particularly relating to critical intepretations, weren't as relevant to my purposes. I skimmed the Intepretations section at the back. 

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