Coleridge as journalist, 1799--1800 (Samuel Taylor Coleridge).

摘要

This thesis examines Samuel Taylor Coleridge's career as a newspaper journalist for the Morning Post between 1799 and 1800 and seeks to reconsider his journalism as a productive endeavour, both in terms of its value as an active contribution to the contemporary newspaper business, and as an important site of conflict over the role of the Romantic author. The introduction to the thesis outlines the critical tradition of treating Coleridge's journalism as Coleridgeana, rather than situating it within the genre of journalism. The thesis itself focuses on Coleridge's 1799–1800 contributions to the Morning Post and their place within both the contemporary journalistic world and the development of early Romantic notions of authorship.; The first chapter provides a history of Coleridge's involvement with the London newspapers, and a survey of the attitudes of several major literary figures from the period towards the daily press. Chapter Two describes the newspaper business around 1800 and situates Coleridge's journalistic style within this setting. The next three chapters examine his handling of key developments in current affairs. Chapter Three focuses on the 1799 French Constitution and the ensuing peace negotiations between Britain and France. This chapter demonstrates the similarities between Coleridge's journalism and that of his colleagues, and proposes that the episodic nature of the genre strongly influences its composition. Chapter Four examines Coleridge's parliamentary reporting as part of a subgenre of journalism with specific rules and expectations. This chapter proposes that newspaper space can be used as a guideline in reading examples of eighteenth-century newspapers' parliamentary coverage, and shows both the conventions that Coleridge follows in his reports and the unconventional nature of his role as a reporter. Chapter Five places Coleridge's biographical journalism on George Washington, Napoleon Bonaparte, and William Pitt within a wider debate about character and leadership that was topical in early 1800. The final chapter examines the role that Coleridge's career as a Morning Post journalist played in shaping the 1800 Lyrical Ballads, particularly the relationship between the Preface, “Christabel,” and “Michael.”