A sympathetic study of Coleridge's life & work. The development of the man, the poet, & the philosopher is recorded in the light of the strange hallucinations which governed Coleridge's actions & guided his genius.

This work explores an aspect of Yeats's writing largely ignored until now: namely, his wide-ranging absorption in S.T. Coleridge. Gibson explores the consistent and densely woven allusions to Coleridge in Yeats's prose and poetry, often in conjunction with other Romantic figures, arguing that the earlier poet provided him with both a model of philosopher - 'the sage' - and an interpretation of metaphysical ideas which were to have a resounding effect on his later poetry, and upon his rewriting of A Vision.

First published in 1967, this book seeks to show the causes which led to Coleridge’s breakdown in 1802 and to indicate how his views on poetry changed as a result of it. The approach is selective in that it only focuses on one part of Coleridge’s life (roughly 1793-1810); however the author attempts to relate a number of different areas of his activity and to trace his emotional and moral development more closely than might be possible in a full-scale biography. The account of Coleridge’s life ends in 1810, when his relationship with the two key figures in his life Asra and Wordsworth had ruptured, as this reflected which of Coleridge’s Notebooks were available at the time.