Table-Talk · Character

Samuel Taylor Coleridge

The philosopher-poet whose talking face Hazlitt studies like a text, finding in its blankness a troubling gap between words and mind.

supporting

Also known as Mr. Coleridge, Coleridge, himself

First appearance: volume i on genius and common sense

As a supporting figure in Table-Talk, Samuel Taylor Coleridge is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

Mentioned briefly as someone who pretends to consistency, in contrast to Cobbett's frank disavowal of his own past opinions.

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Coleridge appears in Hazlitt's reflections as a man whose words 'might create a soul under the ribs of death' while his face remains a blank—lips moving mechanically, pain and languor the only visible inmates. Hazlitt uses him to explore the second sight of morals, the way we discern a person's truth not in their phrases but in their whole deportment. He matters because he is the book's most intimate case of the divided self, the genius whose outward coldness may conceal an inflammable spirit, or may not.

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See Samuel Taylor Coleridge in volume i on genius and common sense

Character Web

9 connections

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Relationship types

Friendship
Other

Character groups

Literary and Artistic Circle
Protagonist
Writers and Thinkers
Sports and Theater

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.

Setup
Escalation
Breaking point
Aftermath
Closing

This passage marks the dramatic climax because it reveals the central psychological reversal: the lady who sco…

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Relationships

William Hazlitt
friendship · ambivalent
Hazlitt was initially a devoted disciple and friend of Coleridge, though later… How this plays out →
William Hazlitt
friendship · ambivalent
Hazlitt was initially a devoted disciple and friend of Coleridge, though later… How this plays out →

Relationship notes

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See Samuel Taylor Coleridge in volume i on genius and common sense

In the story

Samuel Taylor Coleridge appears across 8 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

Character of Cobbett
Mentioned briefly as someone who pretends to consistency, in contrast to Cobbett's frank disavowal of his own past opinions.
On Thought and Action
Referenced for his classification of Bonaparte as an active rather than intellectual character.
On Going a Journey
Quoted as a poet whose lines Hazlitt recalls at Llangollen; also mentioned as a former friend whose conversational brilliance he admires.
On Coffeehouse Politicians
Mentioned as an example of good company due to his ability to establish a division of labor between speaker and listeners.
On Great and Little Things
Referenced in the context of poets' vanity and the treatment of subjects in poetry.
On the Disadvantages of Intellectual Superiority
Mentioned as someone who talks to people about what they don't understand, contrasting with Hazlitt's approach.
On Patronage and Puffing
Recounted as delivering a tirade against the gullibility of the English public regarding Master Betty, then praising a young artist he discovered in Italy.
On the Knowledge of Character
Cited for his tragedy 'Remorse' and the soliloquy of Ordonio, illustrating the psychological evasion of guilt.

Chapter companion notes

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See Samuel Taylor Coleridge in volume i on genius and common sense

See Samuel Taylor Coleridge in Character of Cobbett