coleridge - kubla khan (1 Viewer)

[Lexie1001]

i understand the poem in terms of coleridge's imaginative journey, ie he's writing about the creative process, but how does the responder go on a imaginative journey? and are there any techniques coleridge uses that highlight that/draw us in to his world?
thanks guys!

 

[WouldbeDoctor]

Ok, first of all, 'Kubla Khan' is written in two parts. The first part we see Kubla Khan ordering a pleasure dome be built and the second we hear Coleridge struggling with the role of the artist and the power and limits of human imagination in the creative process.

In the first stanza we are taken on an imaginary tour of the five square miles of rich land, some of which hold no limitations, " caverns measureless to man" and "sunless sea".

The second stanza a darkly mysterious tone replaces the tranquility and this is where the imagination part begins, "deep romantic chasm" and a mighty fountain that hurls 'huge fragments' into the sky. The persona is trying to capture the chaos of the world.

Some techniques:

"In Xanadu did Kubla Khan
A stately pleasure-dome decree;
Where Alph, the savred river, ran
Through caverns measureless to man
Down to a sunless sea.

The short lines of iambic tetrameter and concluding line of iambic trimeter create a calm backdrop for the opening lines of what is to build into an extraordinarily dramatic poem. The regular rhythem and rhyme are enhanced by the fact that the last two words of each line are alliterative, creating a hypnotic, chant-like effect.

I hope that helps a little, WouldbeDoctor.

 

[Lexie1001]

thats great...thanks heaps!

 

[WouldbeDoctor]

thats great...thanks heaps!

Really, cause I don't understand what I said

 

[Lexie1001]

lol, i did so dont worry! it was just the responders side of it i was confused with, i wasnt sure if we go on coleridge's ij with him or if we have our own journey in response to the text.

 

[WouldbeDoctor]

lol, i did so dont worry! it was just the responders side of it i was confused with, i wasnt sure if we go on coleridge's ij with him or if we have our own journey in response to the text.

Theres another thread, just like this, next to yours I believe, remember there are many interpretations of this poem. For example, the poem has sexual conotations, "Chasm, with ceaseless turmoil seething,
as if this earth in fast thick pants were breathing." Also, "a mighty fountain momently was forced".

Get the idea? Makes me a little sick thinking about it like that.

 

[dichotomy]

I only discussed KK in my IJ essay (ie no other Coleridge poem).

I think what you're referring to comes under a number of different points;

1. Firstly, Coleridge/Kubla is attempting to construct a manifestation of perfection. By definition, this is a concept which does not exist (at least not on earth), hence the reader is taken on a journey of attempting to understand/cultivate this concept, only to arrive at the conclusion that it can only exist within the realm of the imagination.
2. Charles Lamb (STC's mate) expressed the notion that hearing/reading the poem deports the reader on an imaginative journey, as the imagery, metaphors, ryhming pattern etc stimulate the imaginative capacity. He wrote of hearing STC recite KK "... so enchantingly that it irradiates and brings heaven and Elysian bowers into my parlour..." NB DIRECT QUOTE
3. Whilst it is STC who articulates the words, it is the readers imagination which gives them form within the mind. Eg... five miles meandering with a mazy motion (not sure if that's right... memory faded since HSC!!). The colours, sounds, smells, sights which we attach to the words are products of our own imaginative journey, whereby we create Xanadu in our minds.
4. As KK learns that he cannot constrict nature (ie the fountain etc rises up against his constraint), so too does STC learn he cannot harness the imagination with words. This, in itself, is a journey with which the reader joins STC, in the understanding that the imagination and creative capacity are facilities beyond our control and understanding. In this way, the IJ of KK is parallel to that of STC and the reader.

Hope that helps. I'm hoping I haven't given you a bum steer. I got in the top 20 in the state for 2u, so obviously the markers liked some of the bullshit I spun!!!

Good luck and feel free to PM me with specific questions.

xx

 

[Lexie1001]

^ thats really helped me...thanks so much!

 

[ck13391]

I just started Coleridge Poem's and i find Kubla Khan a bit difficult to understand.
Can you give me some examples of some concept statements i can integrate into my essay?