Editing The Rime of the Ancient Mariner (section)

== Early criticisms ==
[[File:Dore coleridge.png|thumb|right|Illustration by [[Gustave Doré]], 1878]]
Upon its release, the poem was criticized for being obscure and difficult to read. The use of archaic spelling of words was seen as not in keeping with Wordsworth's claims of using common language. Criticism was renewed again in 1815–1816, when Coleridge added marginal notes to the poem that were also written in an archaic style. These notes or [[gloss (annotation)|glosses]], placed next to the text of the poem, ostensibly interpret the verses much like marginal notes found in the Bible. There were many opinions on why Coleridge inserted the gloss.<ref>{{cite book |first=Duncan |last=Wu |title=A Companion to Romanticism |publisher=Blackwell Publishing |year=1998 |page=137 |isbn=0-631-21877-7}}</ref>

[[Charles Lamb (writer)|Charles Lamb]], who had deeply admired the original for its attention to "Human Feeling", claimed that the gloss distanced the audience from the narrative, weakening the poem's effects. The entire poem was first published in the collection of ''[[Lyrical Ballads]]''. Another version of the poem was published in the 1817 collection entitled ''Sibylline Leaves'' (see [[1817 in poetry]]).<ref>{{cite web |series=Study Guide for ''The Rime of the Ancient Mariner'' |title=About ''The Rime of the Ancient Mariner'' |website=GradeSaver |date=23 December 2023 |url=http://www.gradesaver.com/classicnotes/titles/mariner/about.html}}</ref>