Romantic Literature assignment

Name: Prakruti Bhatt

Roll Number: 25

Subject: Romantic Literature

Topic: Comparative Study of Kubla Khan’s “Damsel with dulcimer” and Christabel’s “Geraldine”

Abstract:

A fasciantion for mysterious, supernatural, and unknown world is one of the central themes of Romantic poetrty. Whether it is Coleridge or Keats, Romantic poets have dealt with this theme in their own distinct way. Not only do these elements provide the reader a sense of wonder, but they also reflect the psychological framework of the poet. It is interesting to note how female characters become a part of this mystery. The aim of this assignment therefore is to study the two mystrerious female characters of Coleridge’s Christabel and Kubla Khan.

Samuel Taylor Coleridge- a brief introduction to his poetry:

“Though not the first of Colerdige's published works, Lyrical Ballads established Coleridge among the foremost poetic voices in 18th century England. Coleridge often uses a matter-of-fact, conversational style in his poetry, a practice in keeping with the Romantic ideal that poetry should be about and for the average reader. Many of his poems are in fact lyrical conversations between Coleridge and some unseen, silent listener. Coleridge also emphasized the supernatural and the power of the natural world in his works. "Kubla Khan" describes the building of a "stately pleasure dome" that itself is formed by the bizarre natural (supernatural?) phenomena of icy caves under a sunlit sky. "Rime of the Ancient Mariner" combines elements of the natural world (such as the Albatross) with the supernatural (such as the strange sea creatures) to describe the connection between the seen and unseen worlds, as well as human beings' interconnection with both. Nature is celebrated outright in other poems, such as Coleridge's "Sonnet: To the River Otter," and forms the basis of thoughtful meditation in "Frost at Midnight.” Most of Coleridge's poetry is lyric; that is, it has a song-like quality and is quite suited to reading (or even singing) aloud. Coleridge fused this popular writing style with his own experimental poetic forms, as when he based the scheme of "Christabel" not on rhyme, but on the pattern of accented and unaccented syllables.” (Gordon)

Kubla Khan:

“Along with “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner,” “Kubla Khan” is one of Coleridge’s most famous and enduring poems. The story of its composition is also one of the most famous in the history of English poetry. As the poet explains in the short preface to this poem, he had fallen asleep after taking “an anodyne” prescribed “in consequence of a slight disposition” (this is a euphemism for opium, to which Coleridge was known to be addicted). Before falling asleep, he had been reading a story in which Kubla Khan commanded the building of a new palace; Coleridge claims that while he slept, he had a fantastic vision and composed simultaneously—while sleeping—some two or three hundred lines of poetry, “if that indeed can be called composition in which all the images rose up before him as things, with a parallel production of the correspondent expressions, without any sensation or conscious effort.”

Waking after about three hours, the poet seized a pen and began writing furiously; however, after copying down the first three stanzas of his dreamt poem—the first three stanzas of the current poem as we know it—he was interrupted by a “person on business from Porlock,” who detained him for an hour. After this interruption, he was unable to recall the rest of the vision or the poetry he had composed in his opium dream. It is thought that the final stanza of the poem, thematizing the idea of the lost vision through the figure of the “damsel with a dulcimer” and the milk of Paradise, was written post-interruption. The mysterious person from Porlock is one of the most notorious and enigmatic figures in Coleridge’s biography; no one knows who he was or why he disturbed the poet or what he wanted or, indeed, whether any of Coleridge’s story is actually true. But the person from Porlock has become a metaphor for the malicious interruptions the world throws in the way of inspiration and genius, and “Kubla Khan,” strange and ambiguous as it is, has become what is perhaps the definitive statement on the obstruction and thwarting of the visionary genius.

Regrettably, the story of the poem’s composition, while thematically rich in and of itself, often overshadows the poem proper, which is one of Coleridge’s most haunting and beautiful. The first three stanzas are products of pure imagination: The pleasure-dome of Kubla Khan is not a useful metaphor for anything in particular (though in the context of the poem’s history, it becomes a metaphor for the unbuilt monument of imagination); however, it is a fantastically prodigious descriptive act. The poem becomes especially evocative when, after the second stanza, the meter suddenly tightens; the resulting lines are terse and solid, almost beating out the sound of the war drums (“The shadow of the dome of pleasure / Floated midway on the waves...”). The fourth stanza states the theme of the poem as a whole (though “Kubla Khan” is almost impossible to consider as a unified whole, as its parts are so sharply divided). The speaker says that he once had a vision of the damsel singing of Mount Abora; this vision becomes a metaphor for Coleridge’s vision of the 300-hundred-line masterpiece he never completed. The speaker insists that if he could only “revive” within him “her symphony and song,” he would recreate the pleasure-dome out of music and words, and take on the persona of the magician or visionary. His hearers would recognize the dangerous power of the vision, which would manifest itself in his “flashing eyes” and “floating hair.” But, awestruck, they would nonetheless dutifully take part in the ritual, recognizing that “he on honey-dew hath fed, / And drunk the milk of Paradise.” (Editors)

The Damsel With Dulcimer:

The lines mentioning the damsel are as follows:

“ A damsel with a dulcimer

In a vision once I saw:

It was an Abyssinian maid

And on her dulcimer she played,

Singing of Mt Abora.”

“The damsel is a figure of poetic inspiration, but her powers are evoked here only to be felt missing: were she to sing, the poet would then be able to recreate the dome and its landscape; but the conditional mood of the lines (‘Could I …’, ‘I would …’) conveys this to be a wish rather than any realised achievement.” (Perry)

Christabel:

“Christabel is an unfinished gothic ballad written by Samuel Taylor Coleridge. It was finished in two years: first part in 1797 and second part in 1800 which was published in 1816 Christabel; Kubla Khan, A Vision; The Pains of Sleep. The story of Christabel is about a central female character of a young lady named Christabel and her encounter with a stranger called Geraldine. She claims to have been kidnaped from her home by a band of rough men. "Christabel" juxtaposes the theme of sin versus religiosity, evil versus devoutness, and sexuality versus purity. In this poem, the central character Christabel represents purity, religiosity and devoutness whereas Geraldine symbolizes evil, sin and sexuality. Christabel is often found praying throughout the poem and one of the most noticeable stuffs in her bedroom is the carving of an angel. In opposite to this, Geraldine says that she does not have the power to praise the Virgin Mary for being rescued by Christabel.

The theme of mysticism is also dominant in Christabel which is Coleridge’s most prominent features. Geraldine is controlled by a mysterious spell in the poem. She puts same spell on Christabel. Once Christabel tangibly recovers from the spell, she seems to change. Christabel’s compassion for Geraldine have vanished and she begs her father to cast Geraldine out of their home. Christabel goes from generous to selfish. The taint of spells upon Geraldine and Christabel suggests the destructive powers of mysticism.” (Shreshtha)

Geraldine:

“Geraldine is one of the earliest literary depictions of the female vampire, although she also follows in the tradition of the "white woman" ghost stories.

Geraldine represents carnal desire and the darker side of human nature. She portrays herself as a victim of male violence, but in fact performs her own acts of violence against the innocent soul of Christabel. At times beautiful, Geraldine's true nature is revealed in the scarred and deformed body she hides under her white dress and the snakelike hissing she directs toward the resistant Christabel.” (Gordon)

However, Geraldine’s analysis doesn’t end here. The statements in the defence of Christabel reflect a re reading of her character in terms of a more rational thinking.“The role of Geraldine, in Coleridges Christabel, is often viewed as the wicked seductress who corrupts and shatters the life of a young innocent maiden. However, after close examination of the poem, we cannot regard this to be her sole purpose.  When we look at the way in which Geraldine is portrayed in the poem, we see that Coleridge bestows qualities both, good and evil upon her, provoking both our sympathy and disgust, making it impossible for us to make a concrete decision about her nature. When Geraldine is first introduced in the poem she is described as exceedingly beautiful (l.68). We are sympathetic towards this damsel bright when we learn that she has been seized by warriors and left to die. Not only do we feel sympathy for Geraldine, so does Christabel and accordingly comforts fair Geraldine and offers the service of Sir Leoline. However, before they reach Christabels castle, Coleridge indicates through many clues that this lovely lady may not be what she appears to be.”

Conclusion:

The arguments given above indicate clearly that both the female characters are in stark contrast, almost binaries, when it comes to their character portrayal. Coleridge’s description of these characters reflects the binary understanding of women of those times. They are either idealized or are of questionable and condemned character. The damsel with dulcimer’s role seems more of a muse for Coleridge whereas Geraldine seems more of an enchantress.

Works Cited

Editors, SparkNotes. Coleridge's Petry. 2002. web. 5 April 2019. <https://www.sparknotes.com/poetry/coleridge/section5/>.

Gordon, Todd. Coleridge's Poems Study Guide. Ed. Elizabeth Weinbloom. 31 May 2011. web. 5 April 2019. <https://www.gradesaver.com/coleridges-poems>.

Perry, Seamus. An Introduction to Kubla Khan Or A Vision in a Dream. 15 May 2014. web. 5 April 2019. <https://www.bl.uk/romantics-and-victorians/articles/an-introduction-to-kubla-khan-or-a-vision-in-a-dream>.

Shreshtha, Roma. Christabel by Samuel Taylor Coleridge: Summary and Analysis. 28 March 2018. web. 5 April 2019. <https://www.bachelorandmaster.com/britishandamericanpoetry/christabel-summary-analysis.html#.XKb4e5gzZPY>.