Kubla Khan

Ideas associated with community, uniqueness, development, individualism, intuition, and imagination lives derive meaning only when lived within the context of a community entities, whether the individual, a specific group, or a nation, are unique The creative artist, whether painter, poet, or musician, became a new cultural hero

The French Revolution German Philosophers such as Immanuel Kant, Fredrich von Schelling, and August Wilhelm von Schlegl Opium His dreams Samuel Purchas’s Pilgrimage, a seventeenth-century travel book recounting the adventures of early explorers

born on October 21 st, 1772 in Ottery St. Mary, Devon, England father, John Coleridge, was a minister and schoolmaster who died when Samuel was ten years old Samuel was sent to Christ’s Hospital, a boarding school in London went to Cambridge University, entered the school as a gifted writer and a conversationalist, but he studied to become a minister left Cambridge University just before completing his degree

After he left Cambridge, he went on a walking tour of Oxford where he befriended Robert Southey, who was also a poet. Southey was also inspired by the French Revolution The two decided to create an Historic Drama called The Fall of Robespierre. shared a belief in liberty and both developed a plan for pantisocracy (the idea of having a egalitarian community) pantisocracy philosophy required every member to be married. This is when Coleridge decided to marry Sarah Fricker, the sister of Robert Southey’s Fiancee. After Marrying her he realized that he didn’t actually love her This caused grief throughout his life. Coleridge ended up moving to Nether Stowey in England’s west country.

1796- Williams Wordsworth moved to an area around Coleridge The two had been exchanging letters for many years and became very good friends began a literary collaboration. This is around the time the Coleridge finished his first version of Kulba Kahn. Shortly after, Coleridge traveled to Germany

After trip to Germany, he decided to begin a two – year trip to Italy, Sicily, and Malta in acted as a public secretary in Malta, but in 1806 he gave up on this job returned to Keswick, his opium addiction got worse. caused him to separate from his wife and two years later he began to quarrel with Wordsworth Coleridge began to seek help for his drug use. As he got older he wrote political and philosophical works in his Biographia Literaria (his autobiography). died in 1834 of complications from his dependence on opium

The exact publication date of Kubla Khan is still a mystery, but researchers believe that Samuel Taylor Coleridge wrote this poem sometime in the fall of 1797 and started to revise it in the spring of It was later published in 1816.

At the time Kubla Khan was published, no one could interpret it. It was said that Samuel Coleridge wrote Kubla Khan after waking from an opium dream. Although the poem is extremely long, it is still incomplete. Upon waking from his dream, Coleridge attempted to quickly write down what he witnessed, but as with most dreams, the entirety of the dream slipped from his grasp and so it’s incompleteness forever haunted him.

Rhyme scheme- A,B,A,A,B,C,C,D,B,D,B,E,F,E,E,F,G,G,H,I,J,J,K,K,L,A,A,L,M,M,N,O,N,O,P,P,Q,R,S,S,R,B,U,B,U,V,P,V,V,V,W,X,X, W Syllable count- 8,8,8,8,6,8,9,11,11,10,10,12,11,11,12,11,12,11,10,10,10,10,11,11,12, 10,10,11,10,10,9,7,8,7,10,10,8,7,9,8,7,7,6,9,7,7,8,8,8,8,7,8,8,8 Criticism- Nineteenth-century critics tended to dismiss it as a rather meaningless or insignificant poem

In Xanadu did Kubla Khan A stately pleasure-dome decree: Where Alph, the sacred river, ran Through caverns measureless to man Down to a sunless sea. So twice five miles of fertile ground With walls and towers were girdled round: And there were gardens bright with sinuous rills, Where blossomed many an incense-bearing tree; And here were forests ancient as the hills,

The meaning to the picture provided with the poem is as follows; The river or Alph (Sacred River) stems from Greek Mythology, is a symbol of flowing life. Nature was the foundation of this poem. He is trying to make ties between nature and sex. “For Coleridge, it’s all about nature, and nature is all about sex.”

Kubla Khan lives in Xanadu Garden paradise surrounded by walls Contains flowing streams Unknown words: Sinuous rills- meandering rivulets or streams Girdled- surrounded or confined

Enfolding sunny spots of greenery. But oh! that deep romantic chasm which slanted Down the green hill athwart a cedarn cover! A savage place! as holy and enchanted As e’er beneath a waning moon was haunted By woman wailing for her demon-lover! And from this chasm, with ceaseless turmoil seething,

Crack in the earth down a green hill in the distance Scene looks haunting Chasm is occupied by a women or the spirit of a women longing for evil Unknown words: Chasm- crack in the earth E’er- ever Seething- to be in a state of agitation or excitement

As if this earth in fast thick pants were breathing, A mighty fountain momently was forced; Amid whose swift half-intermitted burst Huge fragments vaulted like rebounding hail, Or chaffy grain beneath the thresher’s flail: And ‘mid these dancing rocks at once and ever It flung up momently the sacred river. Five miles meandering with a mazy motion Through wood and dale the sacred river ran, Then reached the caverns measureless to man, And sank in tumult to a lifeless ocean: And ‘mid this tumult Kubla heard from far Ancestral voices prophesying war!

Something bursts out of the chasm (lava or water?) huge rocks broke off and were flung into the air Lava/water flows down like a river Kubla hears voices of prophesies, telling of the destruction of the garden/dome Unknown words: Tumult- violent and noisy commotion, uproar Mazy- full of confusing turns

The shadow of the dome of pleasure Floated midway on the waves; Where was heard the mingled measure From the fountain and the caves. It was a miracle of rare device, A sunny pleasure-dome with caves of ice!

the fountain and the flowing of the lava/water becomes audible and visible once it reaches the caves The miracle of rare devise is that fact that caves of ice can exist in a hot and sunny pleasure-dome Unknown words: Mingled- to become mixed, blended, or united

A damsel with a dulcimer In a vision once I saw: It was an Abyssinian maid, And on her dulcimer she play’d, Singing of Mount Abora. Could I revive within me Her symphony and song, To such a deep delight ‘twould win me, That with music loud and long,

saw a young woman playing a dulcimer, like in a vision he once had Her music influences him emotionally and inspires him Unknown words: Dulcimer- a modern folk instrument related to the guitar and plucked with the fingers Damsel- a young woman or girl Abyssinian- someone from Ethiopia Mount Abora- a mountain of the Gods

I would build that dome in air, That sunny dome! those caves of ice! And all who heard should see them there, And all should cry, Beware! Beware! His flashing eyes, his floating hair! Weave a circle round him thrice, And close your eyes with holy dread, For he on honey-dew hath fed, And drunk the milk of Paradise.

Coleridge urges those who have listened to his poem to imagine the dome He predicts they’ll be afraid of what they see (“Beware! Beware!”) Unknown words: Thrice- three times Hath- have

Many critics and readers of Kubla Khan said it was just a bunch of words thrown onto a piece of paper. Local Newspapers such as The Monthly Review said, “The poem itself is below criticism.” The next critic was The London Weekly Review said, “We cannot name one considerable poem of his that is likely to remain on the thresh- floor of fame.” The reason why no one could interpret this poem was due to the fact of his new, unique style.

Ruby, Mary Poetry for Students Volume 4.Farmington Hills: MI Gale Research, King, Neil The Romantics. New York, NY: Evans Brothers limited, Samuel Taylor Coleridge Biography. Ashton, Rosemary Blackwell Publishers. 18 May 2010.