코울리지의 대화시에 나타난 여성 청자와의 관계성

Abstract

This paper aims at investigating the ways in which Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s conversation poems delineate the poet’s relationship with women. Repudiating the current critical belief that Coleridge shows male-dominant attitudes in his works and trivializes feminine qualities, this paper argues that Coleridge’s poetry reveals his consistent aspiration toward a genuine relationship with a woman. As the communicative exchanges and sympathetic connection with the Other constitute part of Coleridge’s lifelong pursuits, his conversational poems accordingly document the poet’s profound interest in the meaningful encounter with the Other. Poems written to Sara Fricker, such as “The Eolian Harp,” appear to have reached a peaceful consensus between the male speaker and the female auditor. Upon careful analysis of these poems, however, one can detect traces of unresolved tensions and anxieties that may have resulted from his damaged marriage life. In contrast, Coleridge’s conversation poems to Sara Hutchinson display his deepening belief in “other-centered ethics,” which partially deconstructs the discourse of gender in his contemporary days. Coleridge’s androgynous view of his loving self in relation to the beloved lady, along with his communicative longing for her voice, convey the poet’s subtle way of re-negotiating gender categories.