A DISCUSSION ON GOTHIC IMAGINATION AS A LITRRARY DEVICE

EMPLOYED IN “THE RIME OF THE MARINER” BY SAMUEL TAYLOR.

Gothic imagination is a literary technique in which the mood it creates takes the viewers to
the sublime of the world (Birch and Drabble 2009). It began in the 18th and 19th century.
Gothic imagination is a literary technique that often is involved with elements of the
supernatural, grotesque and romanticism. It focuses on the dark elements, aiming to evoke
feelings of fear awe and wonder in the reader. In Samuel Taylor’s Coleridge, “the rime of the
ancient mariner” gothic imagination has been mostly employed and it has created great
impacts on the poem. “The rime of the ancient mariner” is a poem that is considered one of
the earliest and most influential works of gothic literature. It was published in 1798 as part of
collections of “lyrical ballads”. In the poem, the mariner is compelled to tell a story of the
experience he encountered to people. The ship on which the mariner works experiences a
good fortune until the mariner takes the life of an innocent albatross by shooting it with his
crossbow. After the occurrence of this event, the ship and its sailor seem to be cursed; all the
sailors in the ship die, with only the mariner being the only one standing, due to the
supernatural circumstances the face in their way. After many struggles the mariner returns
home and when he does, this experience compels him to tell this story to every stranger he
encounters. Therefore, this essay shall aim at critically analyzing how gothic imagination has
been employed and what has been attained by utilizing this technique.

Initially, in part one of the poem; it begins with a ship heading towards the South Pole. The
mariner then stops a wedding guest and compels him listen to his tale. The poet introduces a
vivid and ominous atmosphere. The poem is set in antarica outside a wedding hall. However,
it is in antartica we notice many supernatural events. The place is so full of ice. The poet’s
description of the atmosphere creates a horrific and scary image and highlights the potential
danger that is only possible setting. For instance, the wind takes the ship towards the South
Pole. At this point, the poet portrays strange and mysterious events after the mariner kills the
innocent albatross. In the poem there is unwrapping of supernatural events for example, “it
cracked and growled and roared and howled, like noises in a sword” (Coleridge, Pg.7) this
sentence creates a terrifying and scary picture in the mind of the readers. The setting captures
elements of gothic imagination. The poet utilizes gothic imagination through the strange and
terrifying phenomena of the sea.
In addition, the themes that the poem revolves around depicts of the presence of gothic
imagination. The poems revolves around the themes: death and decay, sin, and punishment.
In the poem when the mariner kills the albatross, he and the sailors faces many hardships.
Death dominates in the poem after the mariner kills the albatross, which is believed to be the
bird of good omen. The mariner and the sailors meet with a ghost ship and the gamble for
their lives. “Four times fifty living men, with heavy thump, a lifeless lump, they drop down
one by one,” this line in the poem claims that 200 men die at the ocean one by one. The poet
uses death to paint a grotesque image. The theme of death is recurrent in the poem. The
mariners act of killing the albatross is a transgression against nature hence it brings the
mariner a curse and eternal suffering. The theme of guilt and supernatural consequences of
the mariner’s action add to the dark and foreboding of the atmosphere. The mystery
surrounding the poem makes it eligible to be deemed as of gothic fiction. Equally, fear has
been highlighted most in the poem for instance, the wedding guest was so scared by the
physical appearance of the mariner that he said “I fear thee glittering eye and thy skinny
hand, so brown”(Coleridge pg. 5).

Furthermore, gothic imagination in “the rime of the ancient mariner” is evident through the
portrayal of a story within another story. Gothic fiction is discontinuous and involute, it
incorporates tales within other tales. Likewise in “the rime of the ancient mariner” there is
disruption and discontinuity of a story the mariner is explaining; “I fear thee ancient
mariner!” this discontinuity and disruption is a portrayal of the characteristic of gothic fiction.
The poem is a story within another story, for instance the mariner’s encounter with the
wedding guest is a beginning of another story that happened to him in the past. There is an
intersection of the past with the present. At the beginning of the poem, the mariner stops the
wedding guest to tell him his story: “and he stoppeth on of three” (Coleridge pg.1) . this line
indicates the beginning of another story, which the mariner wants to unveil to the weddidding
guest

Through usage of gothic elements such as ominous setting, supernatural events and presence
of macabre. The poet transports the reader into a world of suspense and tension. By
employing gothic imagination in “the rime of the ancient mariner,” the poem achieves several
effects. It intensifies the sense of danger and mystery throughout the poem. The readers are
kept on the edge of what ominous event will take place next. This uncertainty adds to the
poems suspense and engages the reader’s imagination. The literary technique emphasizes the
moral and the psychological themes in the poem. The mariners encounter with supernatural
beings and his subsequent punishment serves as a cautionary tale, highlighting the
consequences of disregarding nature and the interconnectedness of all living things in the
world.

Overall, gothic imagination as a literary technique has had a big impact on the poem.
Through the technique the poet has been able to enhance atmospheric quality, heightening
suspense and reinforcing its moral themes.
References
Birch, Dinah, and Margrett Drabble. 2009. The Oxford companion to english literature.
Oxford UP.
Coleridge, Samuel Taylor`. 1798. The rime of the ancient mariner.