In the eighteenth century, the English evince a rising interest in their own literary past. Antiquaries gathered old songs from various provinces, effectively converting local oral culture into a national literate one. No publication was more important in this development than The Reliques of Ancient English Poetry (also called "Percy's Reliques"), edited by Bishop Thomas Percy (1st ed., 1765). The book was celebrated, reprinted several times during the remainder of the century.
Wordsworth and Coleridge were both profoundly impacted by this book, particularly by its manifold displays of the ballad form (more on this form this week). Prior to reading Coleridge's "Rime," please read "Sir Patrick Spens" (printed as "Sir Patrick Spence" in Percy) a very popular poem that appeared in Percy's book: http://www.exclassics.com/percy/perc15.htm
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