168k views
1 vote
When the dead albatross breaks away from the neck of the mariner and falls deep into the sea, which book does Prof. Rearick say came to mind of most of Coleridge's readers?

User Xian Shu
by
7.5k points

1 Answer

6 votes

Final answer:

Prof. Rearick does not explicitly mention which specific book would come to mind for Coleridge's readers when the albatross falls from the mariner's neck, but the theme might evoke biblical tales or literary works dealing with sin and penance known to Coleridge's audience.

Step-by-step explanation:

When the dead albatross falls from the neck of the mariner into the sea, it is not explicitly mentioned by Prof. Rearick which specific book would come to mind for Coleridge's readers. However, considering the context and themes of guilt, redemption, and the supernatural within Samuel Taylor Coleridge's The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, it could evoke biblical tales or other literary works dealing with sin and penance that would have been familiar to his contemporary audience.

Several verses, poems, and literature from the period deal with themes of death, loss, and crossing over water or facing the sea, which might be comparable to the allegorical nature of Coleridge's poem. For example, the mention of the sea and its relation to death in Phillis Wheatley's elegies, the experience of danger in the sea as in the excerpt provided, and verses about the sea's power could all resonate with the imagery of the albatross falling into the sea.

Coleridge's poem itself is steeped in the supernatural and explores the idea that nature is a powerful force that can exact retribution for wrongdoings, a concept that ties into the imagery of the sea and the consequences of killing the albatross. But without clear guidance from Prof. Rearick, identifying a single book that most readers would associate with this moment in The Rime of the Ancient Mariner is uncertain.

User Lijie
by
8.5k points