COLERIDGE’S NOTION OF THE WILLING SUSPENSION OF DISBELIEF: THE CASE OF THE RIME OF THE ANCIENT MARINER

Abstract

In order to approach the question of aesthetic illusion in poetry and stage performance, the paper centers on Samuel Coleridge’s view of imagination by providing an interpretation of one of his most important poems, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner. The poem offers a unique platform for examining what Coleridge defines as “the willing suspension of disbelief”, the phrase thought to be the poet’s most important critical formulation.