Preview

Kubla Khan a Supernatural Poem

Powerful Essays
Open Document
Open Document
8409 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Kubla Khan a Supernatural Poem
| AbstractThis essay discusses the question of the transforming creative self and the aesthetics of becoming in Samuel Taylor Coleridge 's 'Kubla Khan ' and 'Dejection: An Ode ', by reassessing certain strands of Romantic visionary criticism and Deconstruction, which are two major critical positions in the reading and interpreting of Romantic poetry. The poetics of becoming and the creative process place the self in Coleridge 's aesthetic and spiritual idealism in what I have called a constructive deferral, since none of his poetic texts demonstrates the totality of experience or the impossibility of conceptual and theoretical discourse.The aesthetic and spiritual advancement of the self delineates the self as conscious, anti-self-conscious, paradoxical, ironic and self-contradictory. These are the very states that necessitate and enhance change and dynamism rather than portray imaginative failure and impossibility. The two poems therefore display an intertextual relation with regard to the self 's progress towards the attainment of its pursued ideals. |

IntroductionThe aim of this article is to discuss the issue of the transforming creative self as demonstrating a poetics of becoming in Coleridge 's 'Kubla Khan ' and 'Dejection: An Ode, ' [1] against the background of his aesthetic and spiritual idealism and postmodern criticism, especially Deconstruction. This presupposes an innovative intertextual treatment of the poems, intertextuality here not conceived as involving the relation between an author and a precursor expounded by Harold Bloom, but as a subtle elliptical psycho-aesthetic and spiritual mixture between the poems.It will be important, first of all, to define certain key terms like the poetics of becoming and Deconstruction to situate the context in which the concept of the transforming creative self is discussed and analysed. Becoming is defined here as the self-conscious striving towards an aesthetic or transcendental ideal. Taking



Bibliography: Abrams, M. H. "Construing and Deconstructing," Romanticism and Contemporary Criticism. Eds. Morris Eaves and Michael Fischer. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1986. 127 - 182. "The Deconstructive Angel," Modern Criticism and Theory: A Reader. Ed. David Lodge. London: Longman, 1988.264 - 276. Barthes, Roland, "The Death of the Author," Modern Criticism and Theory: A Reader. Ed. David Lodge. London: Longman, 1988. 166 - 195 Belsey, Catherine Breuer, Rolf, "Coleridge 's Concept of Imagination with a Interpretation of "Kubla Khan," Romanticism, Modernism, Postmodernism. Ed. Harry R. Garvin. Lewisburg. Bucknell University Press, 1980. 52 - 66. Burtler, Christopher. Postmodernism. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002. de Man, Paul. The Rhetoric of Romanticism. New York: Colombia University Press, 1984. The Resistance to Theory. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1986. Derrida, Jacques. Of Grammatology. Trans. G. C. Spivak. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1974. Writing and Difference. Trans. A. Bass. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1978. Dissemination. Trans. B. Johnson. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1981. Hewitt, Regina, "False Poets in 'Kubla Khan, '" English Language Notes, 26. 2. 1988. 48 - 55. Huhn, Peter, "Outwitting Self-Consciousness: Self-Reference and Paradox in Three Romantic Poems," English Studies, 72. 3. 1991. 230 - 245. McFarland, Thomas. Coleridge and the Pantheist Tradition. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1969. Romanticism and the Forms of Ruin: Wordsworth, Coleridge, and the Modalities of Fragmentation. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1981. "Imagination and Its Cognates: Supplementary Considerations," Coleridge 's Theory of the Imagination Today. Ed. Christine Gallanet. New York: AMS Press, 1989. 15 - 30. "Aspects of Coleridge 's Distinction Between Reason and Understanding," Coleridge 's Visionary Languages: Essays in Honour of J: B: Beer. Eds. Tim Fulford and Morton D. Paley. Cambridge: D: S: Bremer. 1993. 165 - 180. Mellor, Anne K. English Romantic Irony. London: Methuen, 1980. Mileur, Jean-Pierre. Vision and Revisions: Coleridge 's Art of Immanence. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1982. "Deconstruction as Imagination and Method," Coleridge 's Theory of Imagination Today. Ed. Gallant Christine. New York: AMS Press, 1989. 65 - 82. Milne, Fred, " 'Kubla Khan: ' A Metaphor for the Creative Process," South Atlantic Review, 54. 4. 1986. 17 - 29. Miller, Christopher R., "Coleridge and the Scene of Lyric Description," Journal of English and Germanic Philology. Vol. 101, No 1. 2002. 520 - 539. Miller, J. Hillis, "On Edge: The Crossways of Contemporary Criticism," Romanticism and Contemporary Criticism. Eds. Morris Eaves and Michael Fischer. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1986. 96 - 126. Rzepka, J. Charles. The Self as Mind: Vision and Identity in Wordsworth, Coleridge, and Keats. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1986. "Recollecting Spontaneous Overflows: Romantic Passions, the Sublime, and Mesmerism," Romantic Circles Praxis Series, 2001. http://www.rc.umd.educ/praxis/passions/rzepka/rzp.html 2001. Accessed on February 26 2003. Searle, John. The Rediscovery of the Mind. Cambridge: The MIT Press, 1992. Swann, Joseph, 'Shelley, Keats and Coleridge: The Romantics as Deconstructionists ', Romantic Visions and Revisions of a New World. Ed. Michael Gessemeier et al. Essen: Blaue Eule, 1995. 81 - 99. Teke, Charles Ngiewih. Towards a Poetics of Becoming: Samuel Taylor Coleridge 's and John Keats 's Aesthetics Between Idealism and Deconstruction. PhD thesis University of Regensburg, Bavaria Germany, 2004. Tsur, Reuven. The Road to 'Kubla Khan ': A Cognitive Approach. Jerusalem: Israel Science Publishers, 1987. Wheller, Kathleen. Sources, Processes and Methods in Coleridge 's Biographia Literaria. London: Heinemann, 1980. The Creative Mind in Coleridge 's Poetry. London: Heinemann, 1981. "Coleridge and Modern Critical Theory," Coleridge 's Theory of Imagination Today. Ed. Christine Gallant. New York: AMS Press, 1989. 83 - 102. Romanticism, Pragmatism and Deconstruction. Oxford: Blackwell, 1993. Wilkie, Brian, "The Romantic Ideal of Unity," Coleridge 's Theory of the Imagination Today. Ed. Christine Gallant. New York: AMS Press, 1989. 30 - 47. Zima, Peter V. Deconstruction and Critical Theory. Trans. Rainer Emig. London: Continuum, 2002.© Charles Ngiewih TEKE, PhD Senior Lecturer

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s “The Eolian Harp” and “Kubla Khan” proved intricate pieces of artwork, each meticulously written to submerge their reader into striking new worlds. These are home to mystical beings, such as a “demon-lover” (Kubla Khan, 16) and“Elfins” from “Fairy-Land” (The Eolian Harp, 22-23), as well as complex visions of nature. Although uniquely presented in each, they deal with similar themes of creation and creativity. However, neither reaches a consistent conclusion to the other. While there is a considerable resemblance in the manner both poems are staged, the underlying message appears notably different, allowing the reader an opportunity to explore their meanings.…

    • 505 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Before the actual narrative of the poem begins, the reader is presented with a Latin epigraph taken from Burnet’s "Archaeologiae Philosophicae" (1692). The main theme taken from this quotation is that one must maintain a balance between acknowledging the imperfect, temporal world, yet also striving to understand the ethereal and ideal world of spirits, ghouls and ghosts in order to reach an eventual understanding of the truth. Coleridge uses this quotation in order to remind the reader to pay attention to the near-constant interactions between the real world and the spiritual world in the poem, and like the Ancient Mariner, the reader must explore and navigate these interactions in order to understand the truth behind the poem.…

    • 956 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Samuel Taylor Coleridge, one of the most outstanding figures of Romanticism, was born into a religious family. His father was the vicar of Ottery St Mary, a small village in Devon, and through him Coleridge became familiar with the principles of Christianity. Although a number of critics have tried to prove the contrary, references to Christianity can be found in Coleridge’s most famous poetic creation: The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.…

    • 2097 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    Sporre, Dennis J. The Creative Impulse. 2nd Edition. Englewood Cliffs, N.J. Prentice-Hall, Inc. 1990. Print.…

    • 1370 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    1. Write about the ways Coleridge tells the story in Part 5 of ‘The Rime of the Ancient Mariner’. (21 marks)…

    • 2267 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    In what has been arguably identified as the beginning of the Romantic Movement, Samuel Taylor Coleridge partnered with a close friend, William Wordsworth to put together a collection of poems titled Lyrical Ballads. One piece, in particular, is considered one of Coleridge’s most famous works. In the poem titled, “Rime Of The Ancient Mariner,” a tale is told by a third person persona from the perspective of the poem’s protagonist, the ancient mariner.…

    • 1196 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    He exaggerates his confinement using Had dimmed my eyes to blindness! which relates to darkness and the world shutting him out. The first scene in Coleridges imaginative journey is the roaring dell. Visual senses enhance the description of the scene only speckled by the mid-day sun. The dell is a reflection of his current mood, unhealthy and isolated. Unsunnd and damp, whose few poor yellow leaves neer tremble still draws the reader further into his journey. The yellow leaves suggests the plant is struggling to survive and possibly dying from the lack of…

    • 713 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Henry’s gothic readings enable him to sympathise with women’s hardships. Through Henry’s ability to sympathise, Austen epitomises the importance of the imagination: ‘“Mr Henry Tilney” […] began to apologise for his appearance there […] stating his impatience to be assured of Miss Morland’s having reached her home in safety’ (p.176). Henry’s sympathetic concerns reflect Adam Smith’s notion of the impartial spectator which is ‘construed by a process of internalisation of such outer people, using them as mirrors to reflect ourselves as we seek images of the proper actions to take’ (Broadie 2006: 182). Therefore, through Henry’s reflection of his father’s actions towards Catherine, he was able to identify the severity of Catherine’s hardships and reject his father’s ways. However, the novel also illuminates the faults of Henry’s disbelief of gothic imagination which restricted him from predicting his father’s cruelty. Henry’s disbelief of the gothic relates to Coleridge’s notion of the imagination regarding the supernatural. In the Lyrical Ballards, Coleridge emphasised that his use of the supernatural was aimed towards those who were willing to explore the ‘shadows of their imagination’ therefore portraying a ‘willing suspension of disbelief’ (Coleridge 1834: 174) to explore the possibilities of the unknown. Similarly, this relates to Austen’s concept of the imagination in…

    • 1221 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Deconstruction Essay

    • 2075 Words
    • 9 Pages

    Cited: "Deconstruction." Benet 's Reader 's Encyclopedia (1996): 259. Literary Reference Center Plus. Web. 24 Mar. 2013.…

    • 2075 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    What methods of characterisation does Coleridge use to portray the Wedding Guest and The Ancient Mariner?…

    • 861 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Samuel Taylor Coleridge is often discussed in association with his peer, William Wordsworth. This is due in part to their friendship and joint ventures on works such as Lyrical Ballads. Although he is often “paired” with his counterpart Wordsworth, there are several differences in Coleridge’s poetic style and philosophical views. Coleridge’s poetry differs from that of Wordsworth, and his association with Wordsworth overshadows Coleridge’s individual accomplishments as a Romantic poet. In addition, Coleridge’s poetry complicates experiences that Wordsworth views as very simple and very commonplace. Samuel Taylor Coleridge has a poetic diction unlike that of William Wordsworth, he relies more heavily on imagination for poetic inspiration, and he also incorporates religion into his poetry differently. Coleridge’s different views, combined with his opium addiction, led to an eventual breach in his friendship with Wordsworth – a friendship that had begun in 1797.…

    • 3622 Words
    • 15 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    “Poetry is the revelation of a feeling that the poet believes to be interior and personal which the reader recognizes as his own.”…

    • 823 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    ‘Prose; words in their best order; - poetry: the best words in the best order’ (Coleridge). A reflection on Coleridge’s definition,…

    • 1549 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In Coleridge’s Ancient Mariner the didactic purpose is too apparent. The poet has nowhere attempted to conceal the fact that the poem has a definite moral purpose behind it. It is on record that Coleridge himself was intensely aware that this may be considered a weakness in the poem by some readers. When Mrs. Barbauld told him that she found two faults in the Ancient Mariner, that it was improbable and that it had no moral, Coleridge replied that the probability of the poem might admit of some questions, but regarding the moral, he thought there was too much of it. He believed that the obtrusion of the moral sentiment so openly in a work of pure imagination constituted the chief blemish in the poem.…

    • 877 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Apart from a rather simple matter like this one, he spent time writing about things that are much more complex, like the question of beauty and its importance in poetry. He creates a term, Beauty, which “describes the atmosphere and the essence of the poem”, as he writes. At the same time, he describes Beauty as not exactly a quality, but rather the effect the composition has on one’s soul; the emotions it creates; excitement of the heart or pleasurable elevation of the soul.…

    • 557 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays