Coleridge Essay Manda Simmons

Coleridge and Wordsworth

Tuesday, January 25th’s class focused on the works of Samuel Taylor Coleridge and his relation to the other Romantics, specifically William Wordsworth. We investigated inherent similarities and differences in their schools of thought, and mainly the fact that Coleridge was attempting to create a new kind of democratic poetry more accessible to the common American.

Class began promptly after Foss amazed us with an aerobic display of dashing up three flights of stairs, searching for his book in his office, and coming back down within two minutes. Such a feat was followed by our first reward quiz on Coleridge’s poems, “The Nightingale,” “The Lime Tree Bower, My Prison,” “Dejection: An Ode,” “Kubla Khan,” and “Work Without Hope.” Foss asked us about the specifics of the “plots” within the poems, for example, why was the speaker of “Lime Tree” imprisoned? After blank stares and the sounds of pens not scratching paper, he assured us we’re only competing against each other, not a 100 point scale. < /p> To gain a better understanding of the inherent dichotomy between Wordsworth and Coleridge, we looked at Wordsworth’s “Preface” to Lyrical Ballads. But first Foss reminded us of the Blake archive and showed us a compare function, which allows the reader to see each of Blake’s illustrations with the poems written out on them from Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience. Foss accidentally exited off the browser and gave a Romantic lamenting “OHHHH!” matching Coleridge’s very Ode of dejection itself.

We began studying Wordsworth’s 1800 edition Preface, which Foss cited as marking the beginning of the Romantic period for some scholars. In it, Wordsworth lays out his “aesthetic manifesto” (Foss), specifically focusing on rustic life as the inspiration for his poetry. “The principal object [...] was to make the incidents of common life interesting by tracing them […] the primary laws of our nature: chiefly as far as regards the manner in which we associate ideas in a state of excitement.”(574) While we acknowledged that the objects of the poetry might not want to be labeled as simple and rustic, we discussed the fact that Wordsworth was attempting to create poetry that would mimic the esoteric of regular people. We also discussed the fact that a lot of stereotypes about Romantic poetry spring from this Preface, specifically with the line “spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings.”(575)

Wordsworth also attempts to answer the question of exactly what a poet is on page 577. According to the author, a poet is simply a man speaking to men, a man with a “more lively sensibility, tenderness”, with a “greater knowledge of human nature”, and a man who “rejoices more than other men”. The poet is also “affected more than other men by absent things”. Essentially, the poet brings his feelings near those to who he describes in an attempt to bridge the gap.

But all the Romantic poets were not in agreement with Wordsworth’s justification of his poetry. Out of the “Big Six,” the first generation of Romantic poets were Blake, Coleridge and Wordsworth. The second generation poets were Byron, Shelley and Keats. Foss referenced the fact that Keats once referred to Wordsworth’s Preface and works to being an “egotistical sublime” existence. While Keats might diminish Wordsworth’s sense of self-importance, we must acknowledge that Wordsworth was attempting to align his own feelings with that of the subjects of his poetry, thereby elevating himself to the level appropriate enough to speak to the struggles of life.

Apart from the associations among human beings in Romantic poetry, we also discussed the views of nature and science on page 579. Namely, the poet considers reactionary binaries in relation to each other. There is an overbalance of enjoyment in the creation of these binaries. The poet considers man and nature adapted to each other. In the contrast between man of science and poets, Wordsworth claims “science seeks truth as a remote and unknown benefactor {…} the poet rejoices in presence of truth as invisible companion {…} Poet is rock of defense of human nature. {…} Poet binds things together by passion and knowledge the vast empire of human society.”

We began looking at Coleridge’s Biographia Literaria (745-755) and his criteria for great Romantic poetry. First, it must have supernatural elements. Second, it must have a dramatic truth that would naturally accompany being in such a situation. A willing suspension of disbelief is the mark of great poetry. It must excite feelings by awakening our minds to different attachments and associations, the unfamiliar and unsolicited. “We have eyes, but see not.” It’s taking everyday situations and allowing you to see them in a new light. Foss referenced his longer, well-known poems “Christabel” and “The Rime of the Ancyent Marinere” as being the epitome of Coleridge’s philosophy. There are ghosts, vengeful spirits and all manner of Gothic elements.

Now that we had a sufficient background on both Wordsworth and Coleridge and their differences in thought, we studied Coleridge’s poems in small group discussion. Our goal was to answer the questions: What do you see as the primary similarities and differences between Coleridge and Wordsworth? Do Coleridge’s poems also present a similar faith in the powers of the Romantic imagination? If not, is there a desire for the romantic imagination or is Coleridge more self-consciously embracing a position of Romantic irony? Is it more about the process and becoming and less about about resolution, epiphany and insight?

In our group, we felt that Coleridge employed Wordsworthian elements of societal relationships within “The Nightingale,” yet also added a hint of the supernatural elements. For example, he uses the nightingales as an extended metaphor for men in society and the source of his “songs” (poetry). “So many Nightingales: and far and near in wood and thicket over the wide grove, they answer and provoke each other’s songs—with skirmish and capricious passagings.” (56-59) The end of the poem reveals nature as the tool to soothe his son under the moonlight in an orchard tree. The pagan approach towards nature’s healing abilities fits his criteria for a sublime reaction.

In large group, we discussed the fact that Coleridge seemed to be trying to fill a void with his poetry by admitting he doesn’t have the answers, and neither does Nature, but the spiritual enlightenment lies in asking the questions. Sasha brought up Coleridge’s sardonic sense of humor when he brings up the negative aspects of nature and refers to the lime tree bower as a prison. When Foss asked if we felt Coleridge was pessimistic or exploratory, Christian added that Coleridge “Concludes that through memory he’s able to re-experience it. Wordsworth tends to go towards romantic imagination, whereas Coleridge is more difficult to establish because he explores other themes.”

Erica brought up supernatural elements in “Kubla Khan”, “The supernatural can’t be understood, I see it as an aspect of romantic irony.” Foss agreed and brought up the question at the end of the poem of the figure of the poet, who acts as prophet, magician and God.

Overall in the class period we touched upon the main differences between Coleridge and Wordsworth, specifically their senses of imagination, and their common ground of the possibilities of nature. The class shared the basic school of thought that Coleridge is a less optimistic poet, and sees Romantic poetry as being more about exploring the associations between the supernatural or unknown elements of nature with your own mind. Foss noted that next class period we’ll explore Lord Byron and his closet drama “Manfred.” Word Count: 1249