justify the classification of "the rime of the ancient mariner" as
"gothic" literature.

As described in Andrew Moore's teaching resource site
(http://shunsley.eril.net/armoore/poetry/mariner.htm), the word
"Gothic" implies literature containing elements which are macabre or
strange. Some examples of this as described in Moore's site are:

"the strange weather; 
the albatross as a bird of “good omen”; 
Death and Life-in-death; 
the spirit from “the land of mist and snow”, and the two spirits the
mariner hears in his trance;
the angelic spirits which move the bodies of the dead men; 
the madness of the pilot and his boy; 
the mariner's “strange power of speech”, 
and anything else of interest."

If you desire further clarification, please let me know.

Book A Minute
http://rinkworks.com/bookaminute/b/coleridge.mariner.shtml

The Rime of the Ancient Mariner
By Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Ultra-Condensed by Rachele di Tullio

"Ancient Mariner: I am creepy and old. Listen to me. 

Wedding Guest: I'm late, but I'll listen. 

Ancient Mariner:I killed an albatross. Then everyone died. 

THE END"

tlspiegel
Google Answers Researcher

LOL TLS!