Mary Coleridge
Mary Coleridge was an English writer born on September 23, 1861, into a culturally rich family in London. She was the great-granddaughter of James Coleridge, brother of the renowned Romantic poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Influenced by her musical parents and a circle of notable acquaintances, including Alfred, Lord Tennyson and Robert Browning, Coleridge developed a profound appreciation for literature and the arts. Initially aspiring to be a painter, she began her literary career at the age of twenty, eventually publishing her first novel, *The Seven Sleepers of Ephesus*, in 1893. Coleridge was also active in teaching literary arts at the Working Women's College, driven by a sense of Christian duty. Although her poetry, published under the pseudonym Anodos, did not achieve widespread success during her lifetime, it gained popularity posthumously. Coleridge never married and lived with her parents until her death on August 25, 1907. While she is remembered for her novels and poetry, comparisons have been drawn between her work and that of Emily Dickinson, highlighting her unique voice in the literary landscape.
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Mary Coleridge
Writer
- Born: September 23, 1861
- Birthplace: London, England
- Died: August 25, 1907
Biography
Born September 23, 1861, in London, England, Mary Coleridge grew up in a circle of cultural affluence. Her parents, Arthur Duke Coleridge and Mary Ann Jameson Coleridge, were very musical. James Coleridge, her great-grandfather, was the brother of Samuel Taylor Coleridge, the Romantic poet. Family friends and visitors included Alfred, Lord Tennyson, Anthony Trollope, John Ruskin, and John Everett Millais. Coleridge’s favorite poet, Robert Browning, also visited her family home, much to her delight and amusement.
William Cory tutored Coleridge, guiding her reading and teaching her Greek. She was well versed in both classical and modern languages. In addition, she traveled frequently. Although she had aspired to be a painter, Coleridge began publishing essays at the age of twenty. In 1893, the year following the Cory’s death, Coleridge’s first novel, The Seven Sleepers of Ephesus, was published. She found success as a popular novelist, and she wrote historical romances enhanced with darkness and mystery. In 1895, out of a sense of Christian duty, she began teaching literary arts at the Working Women’s College. Her first collection of poetry, Fancy’s Following, published under the pseudonym Anodos, appeared in 1896. Unlike her novels, Coleridge’s poetry did not bring her success during her lifetime; however, after her death, her poems were republished under her own name, and this new volume proved quite popular. It appeared in four editions in just six months. Coleridge never married and lived with her parents her entire life. She died on August 25, 1907, from appendicitis.
A popular novelist during her lifetime and a popular poet immediately following her death, Mary Coleridge is most remembered for her fine education and for her circle of friends. Born into affluence, she was highly aware, while attempting to aid the poor, of how her own station distinguished her. Although her poetry has not sustained critical acclaim, her best poems have been compared to the poetry of Emily Dickinson.