Sunday, August 23, 2009

Coleridge


“It is essential to poetry that it should be simple, and appeal to the elements and primary laws of nature; that it should be sensuous, and by its imagery elicit truth at a flash; that it should be impassioned, and be able to move our feelings and awaken affection”.



After reading some poems, we can see that nature is essential for the romantic poets. Kubla Khan by Coleridge is full or references to nature, but not any type of nature, nature that goes beyond concrete seeing. The above quotation relates to Kubla Khan because it describes poetry as appealing to the elements of nature and also the importance of imagination which undoubtedly is present at Coleridge’s poem. Can we read without portraying characters, settings and images? Imagination is indispensable for reading. As his description of nature does not involve reason, we need our imagination to depict the beauty of Xanadu while reading. He has taken me into a journey to a place that exists only in me because none of us could have seen the same place. We all have very singular images of Paradise.

No comments: