“As a first generation Romantic, S. T. Coleridge defined many of the movement’s characteristics. ” Discuss with reference to the four poems. ____________________________________________________________ ______________________ Coleridge, as a first generation Romantic, defined many of the movement’s characteristics by detailing the Romantic paradigms of Individual experience, nature & idealism with the imagination function as a mediator with reason to achieve unity.
Four of Coleridge’s Poems; ‘Frost at Midnight’, ‘This Lime Tree Bower My Prison’, ‘Rime of the Ancient Mariner’ & ‘Kubla Khan’ focus on a specific area of Romanticism, too which served as paradigms for the movement. His poetry was heavily influenced by his context which included the Industrial Revolution, French Revolution & spread of Napoleons Tyranny throughout Europe. In actual fact, his poetic form and meters mirror the revolutionary surge, as he does not subscribe to any conventions of poetry. The poem ‘Frost at midnight’ is a conversational poem that outlines many beliefs of the Romantic Movement.
His poem is centred on Rousseau philosophy, in that “’everything is good when it leaves the creator; everything degenerates in the hands of men. ” To convey ideas relating to the central themes, ‘Frost at Midnight’ relies on a highly personal form of expression whereby the reader follows the progression of the thoughts of the speaker. The objects surrounding the speaker become metaphors for the work of the mind and the imagination, so that the fluttering film on the fire grate turns him towards recollection of his childhood.
Coleridge says that sympathises with the ‘film’ and further goes on to say ‘with me who live’. Film (In this case it is ash) is something that is burnt and, was most likely, wood before it was burnt. This symbolises the Industrial Revolution and the people (including Coleridge) who were affected by it. His memory of feeling trapped in school naturally brings him back into his abrupt surroundings with a sudden rush of emotion for his “cradled infant”. His final reflection on his son’s future becomes mingled with his Romantic interpretation of nature. This connection of nature and the mind expresses itself in two ways.
The landscape was on one hand regarded as an extension of the human personality, capable of sympathy with man’s emotional state. This can be seen in ‘Frost at Midnight’ when Coleridge says that his son will someday ‘wander like a breeze’, enjoying the kind of freedom the wind ‘enjoys’ in the world. The delights of unspoiled scenery and the innocent life of countryside people were popular Romantic themes, and it is for this reason that in ‘Frost at Midnight’ Coleridge explicitly states that he hopes his child will enjoy a youth spent in the countryside where he will be, in effect, at one with nature (and so one with divinity).
One of the fundamentals of Romanticism is the belief in the natural goodness of man (and hence further establishing his connection too Rousseau), the idea that in a state of nature people would behave well but are hindered by civilisation. It is against this barrier that Coleridge writes in ‘Frost at Midnight’ and the idea of man’s natural goodness and the importance of emotion also contributed to the development of Romantic individualism. Additionally, ‘This Lime Tree Bower My Prison’, like ‘Frost at Midnight’ belongs to the conversational group, which maintain intimate internal dialogue.
Highlighting Romantic Idealism, ‘This Lime Tree Bower my Prison’ idealises Coleridge & his friends along with his surroundings (the lime tree bower) as part of the assembly that value individual experience, Nature and the Imagination as opposed to social materialism of the 18th Century. Physically limited to the lime-tree bower as his friends have left him and gone gallivanting, the narrator uses the imaginative journey as an escape from constraints of reality (addition showing the ability to “transcend” reality through the vehicle of the Imagination).
By doing so he explores the seamless map of his imagination, concluding with his self-idealism that he is not confined in anyway via the imagination. In writing the poem, Coleridge uses conversational language to create a stronger connection with the reader, as you become a “companion” on his journey. This journey is therefore one of growth. This is idea is further expanded as we become vigilant to the fact that each stanza represents a different state of mind. Obviously, this poem advocates friendship, as seen through the relationship between himself (the persona) and Charles.
The persona compares his situation with Charles, who has “pined And hunger’d after Nature, many a year” as he has been living in the constraints of “the great City pent”, adding connotations of industrial deterioration and pollution. After verifying that he will not be able to join his friends on their walk through nature, he realises the sublime of nature around him, and the beauty of the very Bower that surrounds him. At this realisation he pronounces: “’Tis well to be bereft of promis’d good, That we may lift the soul, and contemplate With lively joy the joys we cannot share. Stating that in absence of something, we realise it value, for him the value of friendship, and for Charles the awe of nature. The persona in the poem comes to the realisation and idealisation that nature cannot be restricted; it cannot be confined to any one place. The persona in the very end acknowledges that for a true lover of nature “no sound is dissonant which tells life”. These concluding lines closely resemble those form one of Coleridge’s poems ‘Rime of the Ancient Mariner’ in returning back to reality, after being transformed by the idealised imagined world of nature.
As previously said, Coleridge’s poem ‘The Rime of the Ancient Mariner’, is heavily focused on the Romantic discipline of Nature, with Nature being a sublime force. ‘The Rime of the Ancient Mariner’ maintains many religious and nature symbolisms, which correspond with one another. Nature is seen as a destructive yet reviving and renewing force that commands man. Throughout the entirety of the poem there are a plethora of examples regarding biblical symbolism in nature. Coleridge uses various elements of nature, such as the wind and water, as symbols of religious belief.
The ocean is where the decisive events, the moments of eternal choice, temptation, and redemption occur. While at sea, the Mariner makes the eternal choice to kill the Albatross (distorting Natures balance, placing Man over Nature). This choice is eternal because once the Mariner has committed the act of murder; there is nothing that he can do to change it. As a result of the Mariner’s decision, a curse falls over the ship and the Mariner is sentenced to eternal penance (an example of Natures punishment and destructive powers).
The eternal penance that he must serve is a reminder to the Mariner of the choice that he made (and so we witness the return to balance after Mans disregard of Nature). However, even after the death of his soul, the Mariner experiences redemption when he recognizes and learns to love all God’s creations (and so displaying the renewing powers of Nature). It is a known fact that Coleridge’s thoughts and feelings where rarely affected by his beliefs, especially the apocalypse. The apocalyptic story deals with God’s freeing the soul of man from the pains of sin and death, and lifting it into paradise.
After the Mariner kills the albatross, he feels as if he is under some sort of curse. However, the Mariner goes through as conversion, which thus releases his soul from the pains of sin and death so that he can once again obtain happiness. There are two vital steps in the conversion course. The first step occurs when imaginative powers of nature are ill-treated so that the slightest wilful act appears to bring down a terrible vengeance. The wilful act that the Mariner contributes in is killing the Albatross, and the “terrible vengeance” that occurs because as a result of this action is the curses that are cast over the ship.
The second part of this conversion process takes place at the greatest moment of despair. At this point, the presence of divine love within humankind appears and emphasizes the appearance of the natural world. In ‘The Rime of the Ancient Mariner’, Coleridge ties both supernatural and reality-based events to manipulate the reader in preparation for the Mariners renewing harmony with Nature. ‘The Rime of the Ancient Mariner’ along with Coleridge’s ‘Kubla Khan‘ is part of the daemonic group, which include visions of mystical and sublime relationships with Nature and the imagination.
That ‘Kubla Khan’ is a quintessential Romantic poem, concerned with the process of creating poetry, the role of the imagination and its affiliation with the mystical and spiritual, is sound. By conveying his imagination by using language, the vocabulary used by Coleridge is of great importance. The five lines of the poem Kubla Khan sound like a chant or incantation, and help suggest mystical and spiritual themes of the poem. Another important theme of the poem is that of good versus evil. The vocabulary used throughout the poem helps convey these themes in images to the reader.
In the first two lines, Coleridge describes the ‘pleasure dome’ in Xanadu. “In Xanadu did Kubla Khan A stately pleasure dome decree” Kubla Khan did not merely order, but decree that a ‘stately pleasure dome’ be built. This dome is evidence of how unnatural the place of Xanadu is, it has a ruler who ignores the unpleasantness that can be found in life. In ‘Kubla Khan’, imagery is also important for Coleridge to convey his imagination to the reader. There are images of paradise throughout the poem that are combined with references to darker, more evil places.
On example of this is the “demon lover” that has possessed a woman. Coleridge’s image of the “dome of pleasure” is mystical, conflicting with the restrictions of realism. Xanadu is also a savage and ancient place where pure good and pure evil are much more apparent than in the monotony of everyday living. By using images, Coleridge conveys the extent of his imagination to readers. Concluding, Coleridge defined many of the movement’s characteristics by using his poems as a vehicle that explorers Romanticism.
His poems serve as a central paradigm for succeeding Romantics. He let his poetry be influenced by his surroundings and context, ignoring the conventions of 18th century poetry, hallmarking him as a revered Romantic and a paramount Poet. ? Bibliography Books: •NSW HSC online (Charles Stuart Uni): Module B, Elective 2 – Romanticism. Websites: •shmoop. com •sparknotes. com •eliteskills. com •cliffsnotes. com •enotes. com •uofh. com/Coleridge •literature-study-online. com •lib. virginia. edu
