Coleridge, Sara

Definition

Sara Coleridge (1802–1852), the only daughter of Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772–1834), was a literary critic, philosopher, theologian, translator, and a commentator on politics and society. She was also an accomplished poet and a fluent, vigorous letter-writer. Her published works comprised a volume of poems for small children, a novel for older children, two long review articles for the Quarterly Review, and the important introductory discussions on theological, literary, and political themes which she contributed to the editions of S.T. Coleridge published between his death in 1834 and her own in 1852.

Life and Works

“Her father had looked down into her eyes and left in them the light of his own.” This was Aubrey de Vere’s view of Sara Coleridge (1802–1852), a tribute to both the intellect and character of the only daughter of Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772–1834). While Sara’s literary achievements were less seminal and momentous than her father’s, the intellectual...