Paper about Kubla Khan

Write a critical analysis of S. T.

Coleridge’s poem “Kubla Khan” (The Oxford Anthology of English Literature. Romantic Poetry and Prose, pp. 254 – 257), paying special attention to the romantic interpretation of art and the status of the artist/poet.Along with “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner”(1798) and “Christabel” (1816), “Kubla Khan” is one of Coleridge’s most famous and impressive poems. These poems deal with supernatural events.

At the time of the poem’s publication, Coleridge calls Kubla Khan a “fragment” and subtitles it “A Vision in a Dream”, adding an introductory note explaining its unusual origin. The poet remarked that after taking some opium for medication, to which he was known to be addicted.The story of its composition is also one of the most famous in the history of English poetry. Before falling asleep, the author had been reading a passage from Samuel Purcha’s Pilgrimage in which Kubla Khan commanded the building of a new palace. Coleridge claims that while he slept, he had a fantastic vision and composed everything in a flash, while sleeping— some two or three hundred lines of poetry.

Unfortunately, a man from Porlock interrupted him, and when the poet had a chance to return to his writing, the images had vanished, leaving him with only vague recollections and an unfinished poem.The fragmentary nature and dreamlike imagery of the work is considered demonstrative of Romantic poetic theory.Probably the most fantastical world created by Coleridge lies in “Kubla Khan.” While on opium, it could be said that Coleridge opened a third level of imagination from which “Kubla Khan” emerged.

In this particular poem, the author seems to explore the depths of dreams and creates landscapes that could not exist in reality.The poem begins with a description of a magnificent palace built by the Mongolian ruler Kubla Khan during the thirteenth century. The enormous “pleasure-dome” of the poem's first few lines reflects the Khan's sovereign power, and the description of the palace and its surroundings represents the grandiosity of his character.In addition “dome” is the most artistic building, it stands for the palace of art.

The poet takes part in the creative act of God through the power of imagination. God creates the universe and consequently the poet creates the work of art. True art is not mechanical and does not depend on a premeditated plan.The palace of art is the product of imagination and as follows is sacred.

Coleridge believes that the combination of pleasure and sacredness is the sign of true art.Likewise the opening lines of the poem describe an ideal and paradisal landscape watered by a sacred river named Alph. The name of the river is reminiscent of alpha, the first letter of the Greek alphabet. It is the first, the beginning, suggesting the beginning of the world, the creation.

It is also the river of the Muses, the river of imagination.Due to the effect of the opiate Coleridge’s perceptions of space and time were “both powerfully affected”. Space was expansive, time was infinite and buildings and landscapes so vast the eye could not see them in their entirety. Coleridge reflects this same notion when he refers to “caverns measureless to man,” fertile ground that is “twice five miles,” and a river “meandering” for five miles (4, 6, 25). Time, too, is exaggerated: “Kubla heard from far ancestral voices”(30).Moreover there are numerous references in “Kubla Khan” that support “water and an associated sense of hopelessness” aspect of the opium-influenced dream.

Coleridge writes of both a “sunless sea” and a “lifeless ocean,” images that are devoid of hope (5, 28).Although he does not see human faces, he hears human voices, evident in his reference to a “woman wailing” (16). From line 6 to 12 of Kubla Khan depicts the palace. “Walls and towers” that designate the poet's mind stand for the senses of which the eyes and ears are the towers. 'Bright gardens' watered by 'sinuous rills' are the creative mind of the poet inspired by the water of inspiration.The 'forests ancient as the hills' imply that poetry is as old as creation because The Book of Genesis, the first book of the Old Testament that talks about the creation of the world, is itself therefore a great work of art, a great poem.

With line 13 Coleridge comes to the process of poetic creation. The unconscious mind of the poet is the source of the river of imagination, the Alph, running in a sacred and enchanted place. The enchanted setting is what truly makes poetry look supernatural.From line 37 to the end of the poem Coleridge speaks in his own person and forgets about Kubla Khan and Xanadu.Similarly, amidst the tumult and confusion of “Kubla Khan,” the poet in his high “hears” the serenity of a young woman playing a dulcimer and he refers to the “deep delight” her “symphony and song” gives him and even feels that the music gives him the power needed to “build that dome” (43, 44, 46).

The difference for him, however, was his ability to compose or recall music that existed only in his imagination, unlike the other users of opium who reacted to music that was in fact being played.It seems he required the opium to be able to get into this aspect of his creativity in order to write about the sounds that surfaced within his mind, thereby leaving the reader to wonder if he would have been able to hear and interpret his imagined music without the drug. His ability to invoke sound where it did not exist, even if facilitated by the poppy substance, can be considered remarkable because his description of the sound is very explicit and even reflects emotion.The poem “Kubla Khan” is about poetry and art in general, power and rulership. It shows us the extent of Coleridge’s imagination. This poem is significant, because it helps others understand the power of words as well and how passionate and real dreams can be.

With his talent, Coleridge was able to convert his dream into a brilliant literary work. The poem also helps others see how the author views heaven, and hell and how he refers and relates to each.In conclusion, Kubla Khan is a self-portrayal by Coleridge who believes that it is he who controls the land of Xanadu.