INTRODUCTION

Kubla Khan
Kubla Khan is essentially a dream-poem recounting in a poetic
form what the poet saw in a vision. It has all the marks of a
dream; vividness, free association. The dream-like texture of
Coleridge’s poem gives it a kind of twilight vagueness
intensifying its mystery. This dream-quality contributes greatly
to making the poem romantic. Coleridge's Kubla Khan, a
celebratory poem is romantic in its tone.
Supernatural
It is a supernatural poem based upon an opium-induced dream.
It transports us out of the world of everyday life into a world of
enchantment. The reference to the haunted waning moon and
the contrast between holy (religion) and enchanted (witchcraft)
gives a magical feeling to the reader and takes one from reality
to this dreamscape. 'The woman wailing for her demon lover'
and 'the ancestral voices prophesying war’ are obviously
supernatural occurrences. The tumultuous rise of the river Alph,
the sacred river from a deep romantic chasm is also given an
unmistakable supernatural touch. The caverns measureless to
man, the half-intermitted burst of water from the fountain,
the sunless sea— these are all supernatural touches which create
an atmosphere of mystery and fear in the poem. Weaving a
circle round him thrice is unequivocally/certainly a magical
operation. He asks to put a protection spell on an artist creating
art because they pose a threat with the imaginative power of
their mind.
Distant setting
The poem is work of pure fancy, the result of sheer imagination.
The exquisite, distant setting of Kubla Khan is laid in harmony
with this aspect of Romanticism. Reference to distant lands and
far off places emphasizes the romantic character of the poem.
The very first line transports us to the distant city of Xanadu, a
pleasure-dome of the great oriental King Kubla Khan. The poet
is seen romanticizing the exotic East and chooses an Eastern
despotic ruler from the 13th century while writing in the 18th
century. The unfamiliar names and setting, brought with the
spirit of mystery, lend to the poem an enchantment of its own.
Perfect romantic ideal is achieved in the poem with the
combination of man and his garden/paradise with God and
nature. Artificial and natural combine to give harmonious sight
and sound. The reconciliation of opposites is a central ideal of
the romantics.
Sensuous description
There are sensuous phrases and pictures in Kubla Khan. Images
from nature and greenery; incense-bearing tree, chaffy grain
provide a spiritual and domestic image associated with the
romantic poetry. The sensuousness is further reinforced with the
description of an Abyssinian girl singing of Mount Abora, an
African paradise of nature set next to Kubla Khan's created
paradise at Xanadu. All these vivid pictures give the poem a
sensuous touch so characteristic of romantic poetry.
Poetic creation
The poet appears in the first person I and captures the romantic
image of a divinely inspired artist; his flashing eyes, his
floating hair!

The Rime of the Ancient Mariner

Coleridge borrows the form of this poem from old, popular
English ballads. The mariner stops a guest entering a wedding to
share with him his story of escaping death and learning to value
every living thing. The elements of Romanticism found in the
poem include strong images of the supernatural and nature, as
well as a deep thread of spirituality.
Supernatural
The impression of Coleridge’s supernatural reinforces his
approval of romanticism as the supernatural is a common
romantic theme. Supernatural pervades all over the poem. The
guest is afraid of this unkempt man who looks like a ghost;
skinny hand, greybeard loon but his powerful glittering eye
captured/mesmerizes the man. The Mariner is able to hold the
wedding guest against his will, as if he has the power of
hypnosis. The super natural elements show the force of the
Spirit representing Nature and the danger of taking nature for
granted. It starts with the thoughtless killing of Albatross which
figures as a bird of good omen and a pure Christian soul. “Life-
in-death” and “Death” are both supernatural existences that
drive the mariner's ship in order to decide his fate for killing the
Albatross. This beautiful life draining creature/ siren-like figure
whistles thrice announcing the mariner’s decided fate. Polar
Spirit forces the ship to move or stay calm. The mariner is put
into a trance. The polar spirit drives the ship at a very high speed
which is not possible for a human to endure.
Imagination/distant setting/romantic elements
The vivid description of night with moonlight shining over the
mighty ocean, the cool breeze call to attention the might and
glory of nature. The storm-blast was tyrannous and strong
which chased the ship to the icy waters of the South/Antarctica.
The land of ice represents the realm of imagination.
The sun represents the sun of Science and rationality prevalent
in the times of Coleridge while the moon is seen as a guiding
spirit. Dream logic and imagination is given importance here
unlike the reason and logic of Augustans symbolized by the sun.
This is why the dream logic is reversed here and good things
happen at night and bad things happen during daytime. the
Mariner comes back home in the moonlight. The parents of the
hermit gives the mariner hope of salvation. for the romantics
hermit is a sacred person. Mariner feels he is absolved because
the hermit blessed him. For the romantics, hermits are the
natural priests. They live in nature and pray in the woods.
Nature is where God is found. The sweet colors of the water
snakes have been depicted so brightly that a sensuous quality
has been emerged out of it. Crossbow is a medieval instrument
that the mariner used to kill the Albatross.
Poet’s situation
In the romantic tradition, a poet is an accelerated lonely standing
apart figure. The meditating brings out what is denied to the
Mariner. He has no family, no ties. He is a wanderer just like a
poet. The description of the wanderer reminds us of the
description of an alienated figure of an artist; the bright-eyed
Mariner. Poet is an isolated figure. Enthralling but alienated.
Ice is beautiful but dangerous just like the world of art;
imagination. Just like the growling and roaring of ice,
imagination can be dangerous because it leaves the poet
alienated. It is better obstacle how this wanderer who has no
place that he can call home but he preaches the universal
message of love and belonging. He will never be part of such
union and harmony that marriage offers because that is his
penalty/punishment. He will always be homeless. He is a
romantic poet with a "strange power of speech", the power of
imagination which is both a blessing and a curse for the artist.
Religion and Spirituality
"The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” is shot through with images
of Christian spirituality. The albatross is originally described as
a Christ-like savior swooping into the sailors’ view so as to lead
them to salvation. When the albatross is killed by the mariner,
this sailor is viewed as a Judas-like character, a betrayer of the
bird’s benevolence. The mariner’s story is told within a framing
narrative about a wedding, concluding with the mariner’s advice
that “He prayeth best, who loveth best / All things both great
and small,” suggesting that salvation comes not just from
joining and loving our fellow humans, but also joining and
loving “both man and bird and beast.”

Christabel
Though Samuel Taylor Coleridge was a Romantic writer, he
participated in the gothic genre. “Christabel” contains gothic
characteristics, such as dark scenery, damsels in distress, and a
hint of the supernatural. These Gothic elements make
“Christabel” a Gothic poem hidden beneath a Romantic mask. It
is a ballad set in the medieval times.
Supernatural/gothic
The poem has a dark and desolate setting, a castle situated in an
unknown region where the sounds of screeching owls, howling
dogs, and ticking clocks create a sense of horror and evil. The
ominous tone of the poem continues while Coleridge writes
about chilly night, gray cloud and the moon which is at the
full. The night-birds have grown still which is a bad omen. The
appearance of her mother’s guardian spirit makes sense
considering the witching hour is an ideal time for ghosts to
appear. Be it witch, vampire, or another mystical creature,
Geraldine represents a demonic/satanic symbol of evil.
Christabel was hypnotized by Geraldine’s magic spell.
Romantic setting/hospitality/uncorrupted child
The audience is reminded of the setting that it's the middle of
night in the month of April with springtime just around the
corner; ‘the Spring comes slowly up this way. Christabel
embodies Christ like virtues of purity and goodness. She is a
child of nature who goes out during midnight to the natural
church to pray for her lover. Nature is where God is. it presents
the romantic emphasis on nature and connection with the divine.
The guest-host relationship which was considered very
important during the medieval times is shown by Coleridge in
Christabel's act of hospitality when she extends a helping hand
towards Geraldine. Her inner transformation through the
realization of Geraldine’s evil can be paralleled with the
historical fascination with the idea of the human fall and original
sin that causes human imperfections. ‘’Christabel is a typically
Romantic poem in that it chronicles a fall from innocence to
experience.”(Davison). The poet's romantic self comes into play
in the last part where he refers to his own son; a little child" and
talks about the effect that environment has on children. in nature
your soul is not corrupted and your innocence is intact. He
provides a comparison between city life which is materialistic
and impure and country life that is close to nature. You are pure
in the country so your corruption is delayed but as you grow
older your innocence is compromised, you become engulfed by
ambition and jealousy.
Dejection: An Ode
In this poem Coleridge expresses his personal grief on the loss
of his creative imagination which is thought to be the product of
his depression born of his happy marriage and futile love for
Sara Hutchinson. This expression of personal loss in literature is
itself an element of Romanticism.
It was written during the time when he was struggling to find his
lost inspiration. His sense of sin and shame/guilt is evident in the
tone and diction he has used. He starts with an image from
nature. He describes the setting of a night when the old moon is
in the arms of the new moon announcing the coming of a storm.
This is the kind of weather that had given inspiration all these
years ago. He's hoping that the coming storm would revive his
inspiration. The blowing wind made a melodious sound when it
passed through the strings of the lute. Thus, This man made
instrument combined with the godsend wind makes a
harmonious mixture of man and nature particular to the romantic
poetry. The poet's personal anguish is apparent in his
expression; I see, not feel. He believes that the external nature
cannot alone be a source of inspiration for an artist. Inspiration
also has to come from within. Here he's breaking away from
Wordsworth's idea of finding inspiration in nature. Nature only
reflects what's already inside a person. Internal joy makes you
see happiness "wedding-garment" or sadness "shroud".
He appreciates children who are "pure of heart" and are not
corrupted by the materialism of this world. It can also be a
reference to Sara Hutchison with whom he had shared some
notable memories during his time spent at Wordsworth's
residence. All of it makes him feel that he's no longer a pure of
heart and a virtuous man which is the reason why he has lost his
"shaping spirit of Imagination". The sound of the wind is
bringing back memories and he recalls how he was able to find
joy in life even when it was the hardest of times. "Not far from
home, but she hath lost her way" depicts a lonesome child,
which Coleridge is now, who has lost her direction.

In the last part of the poem, we notice a change of tone with a

transition from late evening to midnight. The poet has risen
above his own grief and is now wishing his friend and the lady
the best in life which is the sign of a great poet. He wishes
everything good to them. "Joy lift her spirit, joy attune her
voice".
Romantic images/ inspiration from within
One of the features of Romanticism in literary theory tends to
see the individual at the very center of all life and all experience
throughout the poem. The author conveys the imagery of grief
and sadness and how this dejection affects the experiences of the
speaker. The images of night, darkness, howling storm,
crescent moon, viper thoughts, dark dream all represent the
inner state of Coleridge's mind and his deep agony. The agony
of losing the power of creativity and his driving passion disturbs
the poet more so than the depression he experiences. He
repeatedly wishes to be moved by the sights and sounds that are
around him but is unable to do so. He asserts that the inspiration
must come from within. This is the ideal which gives rise to the
Romantic poets' emphasis on the imagination and internal
realities.

Lute/outer vs. inner

The AEolian lute is a common symbol in Romantic poetry for
man and his interaction with nature. Just as the lute needs more
powerful breezes to produce music, the poet needs sufficient
inspiration to enlighten the imagination. He wishes the outside
storm to stir his inner dull pain so that he can come out of his
lethargic mental state which has deprived him of his creativity.
This relationship between outer and inner nature is also a
Romantic belief.
Past pain
Another aspect of romantic poetry deals with the past, exotic
places, forgotten events, and a sense of having lost something.
This can be very well observed in the poem. Coleridge
remembers that in his earlier days he had managed to remain
happy even though the path of his life was rough. He even used
his misfortunes as materials to weave visions of delight. It is
apparent in dejection that nature for all its beauty and wonder is
nothing without internal attribution of meaning. he goes as far to
imply that nature is useless without man's imagination. he
creates a contrast between the external beauty of nature and his
inner disappointment to feel it