"The Rime of the Ancient Mariner"

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses Gustave Dore's set of forty-two engravings that accompany the story depicted in Samuel Taylor Coleridge's poem "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner." The paper quotes passages from the poem and describes how the accompanying engravings enhance the telling of Coleridge's story, in order to paint a more vivid picture for the reader.

From the Paper:

"The engraving depicting the detention of the wedding guest at the beginning of the story sets the stage for the whole tale. Coleridge uses the frame story convention in order to enhance the story. The poem begins with the ancient mariner stopping a guest on the way to a wedding in order to tell the tale of his adventure at sea. This drawing is definitely on land, and serves to illustrate the contrast between land and sea that Coleridge intended. The background depicts a foreboding city scene, and the looks on the faces of the men in the engraving enhance the ominous atmosphere."

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