Research Catalog

Ancient Mariner : the Arctic adventures of Samuel Hearne, the sailor who inspired Coleridge's masterpiece / Ken McGoogan.

Title: Ancient Mariner : the Arctic adventures of Samuel Hearne, the sailor who inspired Coleridge's masterpiece / Ken McGoogan.
Author: McGoogan, Ken
Publication: New York : Carroll & Graf Publishers : Distributed by Publishers Group West, 2004.

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Status	Format	Access	Call Number	Item Location
Request for On-site Use Request Scan Not available - Please for assistance.	Text	Request in advance	F1060.7.H495 M34 2004	Off-site

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Details

Description

333 p. : ill., maps; 24 cm.

Summary

"In addition to achieving an unnamed immortality in Coleridge's epic poem, few people know that during a remarkable three-year odyssey British explorer Samuel Hearne became the first European to reach the Arctic Ocean and stand on the northernmost shore of the Americas. McGoogan skillfully demonstrates that Hearne was far more complex, accomplished, and influential than history has until now acknowledged." "Hearne's posthumously published journal, the first book about an Arctic sojourn, describes a trek of 3,500 miles marked by hardship, hunger, and disappointment, and ameliorated only by his friendship with the indomitable Dene leader Matonabbee. Their epic journey culminated in the notorious massacre at "Bloody Falls," where the Dene preyed on a helpless band of Inuit. Hearne witnessed the slaughter, and it would haunt him for the rest of his life; indeed, his report of the brutal incident has influenced Western understanding of native peoples for two centuries." "In an inspired example of literary sleuthing, McGoogan determines that Samuel Taylor Coleridge, six years before writing "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner," encountered Hearne, who spoke of his guilt at seeing so many murdered so brutally. As the poet heard the traveler's painful stories, he was stirred to write about an old sailor haunted by his memories of a barbarous act."--Jacket.

Subject

Genre/Form

Biographies
History
Sources

Bibliography (note)

Includes bibliographical references (p. 313-319) and index.

Processing Action (note)

committed to retain

Contents

Prologue: Coleridge at Work -- pt. 1. Mr. Midshipman Hearne -- 1. The Boy from Beaminster -- 2. The Young Gentleman -- 3. Blood, Smoke, and Fire -- 4. Candide in London -- pt. 2. Maker of History -- 5. Prince of Wales Fort -- 6. The Far-Off Metal River -- 7. Massacre at Bloody Falls -- 8. Return from the Arctic Coast -- 9. Cumberland House -- 10. The Governor's Magic -- pt. 3. Ancient Mariner -- 11. Voyaging with Nobility -- 12. A London Farewell -- 13. Life After Death -- Epilogue: Tracking the Mariner.

ISBN

0786713046

LCCN

^^2003065388

OCLC

53285176
SCSB-12462048

Owning Institutions

Harvard Library