Rime of the Ancient Mariner解析.docx

Rime of the Ancient Mariner解析.docx

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RimeoftheAncientMariner解析

AnalysisSamuelTaylorColeridge’sPoem

SamuelTaylorColeridge’splaceinthecanonofEnglishpoetryrestsonacomparativelysmallbodyofachievement:

afewpoemsfromthelate1790sandearly1800sandhisparticipationintherevolutionarypublicationofLyricalBalladsin1797.UnlikeWordsworth,hisworkcannotbeunderstoodthroughthelensofthe1802prefacetothesecondeditionofthatbook;thoughitdoesresembleWordsworth’sinitsidealizationofnatureanditsemphasisonhumanjoy,Coleridge’spoemsoftenfavormusicaleffectsovertheplainnessofcommonspeech.Theintentionalarchaismsof“TheRimeoftheAncientMariner”andthehypnoticdroneof“KublaKhan”donotimitatecommonspeech,creatinginsteadamorestrikinglystylizedeffect.

Further,Coleridge’spoemscomplicatethephenomenaWordsworthtakesforgranted:

thesimpleunitybetweenthechildandnatureandtheadult’sreconnectionwithnaturethroughmemoriesofchildhood;inpoemssuchas“FrostatMidnight,”Coleridgeindicatesthefragilityofthechild’sinnocencebyrelatinghisownurbanchildhood.Inpoemssuchas“Dejection:

AnOde”and“Nightingale,”hestressesthedivisionbetweenhisownmindandthebeautyofthenaturalworld.Finally,Coleridgeoftenprivilegesweirdtalesandbizarreimageryoverthecommonplace,rusticsimplicitiesWordsworthadvocates;the“thousandthousandslimythings”thatcrawlupontherottingseainthe“Rime”wouldbeoutofplaceinaWordsworthpoem.IfWordsworthrepresentsthecentralpillarofearlyRomanticism,Coleridgeisneverthelessanimportantstructuralsupport.

Hisemphasisontheimagination,itsindependencefromtheoutsideworldanditscreationoffantasticpicturessuchasthosefoundinthe“Rime,”exertedaprofoundinfluenceonlaterwriterssuchasShelley;hisdepictionoffeelingsofalienationandnumbnesshelpedtodefinemoresharplytheRomantics’idealizedcontrastbetweentheemptinessofthecity—wheresuchfeelingsareexperienced—andthejoysofnature.TheheightenedunderstandingofthesefeelingsalsohelpedtoshapethestereotypeofthesufferingRomanticgenius,oftenfurthercharacterizedbydrugaddiction:

thisfigureoftheidealist,brilliantyettragicallyunabletoattainhisownideals,isamajorposeforColeridgeinhispoetry.

Hisportrayalofthemindasitmoves,whetherinsilence（“FrostatMidnight”）orinfrenzy（“KublaKhan”）alsohelpedtodefinetheintimateemotionalismof

Romanticism;whilemuchofpoetryisconstitutedofemotionrecollectedintranquility,theoriginofColeridge’spoemsoftenseemstobeemotionrecollectedinemotion.But（unlikeWordsworth,itcouldbeargued）Coleridgemaintainsnotonlyanemotionalintensitybutalsoalegitimateintellectualpresencethroughouthisoeuvreandappliesconstantphilosophicalpressuretohisideas.Inhislateryears,Coleridgeworkedagreatdealonmetaphysicsandpolitics,andaphilosophicalconsciousnessinfusesmuchofhisverse—particularlypoemssuchas“TheNightingale”and“Dejection:

AnOde,”inwhichtherelationshipbetweenmindandnatureisdefinedviathespecificrejectionoffallaciousversionsofit.Themind,toColeridge,cannottakeitsfeelingfromnatureandcannotfalselyimbuenaturewithitsownfeeling;rather,themindmustbesosuffusedwithitsownjoythatitopensuptothereal,independent,“immortal”joyofnature.

Themes

TheTransformativePoweroftheImagination

Coleridgebelievedthatastrong,activeimaginationcouldbecomeavehiclefortranscendingunpleasantcircumstances.Manyofhispoemsarepoweredexclusivelybyimaginativeflights,whereinthespeakertemporarilyabandonshisimmediatesurroundings,exchangingthemforanentirelynewandcompletelyfabricatedexperience.Usingtheimaginationinthiswayisbothempoweringandsurprisingbecauseitencouragesatotalandcompletedisrespectfortheconfinesoftimeandplace.Thesementalandemotionaljumpsareoftenwellrewarded.Perhaps

Coleridge’smostfamoususeofimaginationoccursin“ThisLime-TreeBowerMyPrison”（1797）,inwhichthespeakeremploysakeenpoeticmindthatallowshimtotakepartinajourneythathecannotphysicallymake.Whenhe“returns”tothebower,afterhavingimaginedhimselfonafantasticstrollthroughthecountryside,thespeakerdiscovers,asareward,plentyofthingstoenjoyfrominsidetheboweritself,includingtheleaves,thetrees,andtheshadows.Thepowerofimaginationtransformstheprisonintoaperfectlypleasantspot.

TheInterplayofPhilosophy,Piety,andPoetry

Coleridgeusedhispoetrytoexploreconflictingissuesinphilosophyandreligiouspiety.SomecriticsarguethatColeridge’sinterestinphilosophywassimplyhisattempttounderstandtheimaginativeandintellectualimpulsesthatfueledhispoetry.Tosupporttheclaimthathisimaginativeandintellectualforceswere,infact,organicandderivedfromthenaturalworld,ColeridgelinkedthemtoGod,spirituality,andworship.Inhiswork,however,poetry,philosophy,andpietyclashed,creatingfrictionanddisorderforColeridge,bothonandoffthepage.In“TheEolianHarp”（1795）,Coleridgestrugglestoreconcilethethreeforces.Here,thespeaker’sphilosophicaltendencies,particularlythebeliefthatan“intellectualbreeze”（47）brushesbyandinhabitsalllivingthingswithconsciousness,collidewiththoseofhisorthodoxwife,whodisapprovesofhisunconventionalideasandurgeshimto

Christ.Whilehiswifeliesuntroubled,thespeakeragonizesoverhisspiritualconflict,caughtbetweenChristianityandaunique,individualspiritualitythatequatesnaturewithGod.Thepoemendsbydiscountingthepantheistspirit,andthespeakerconcludesbyprivilegingGodandChristovernatureandpraisingthemforhavinghealedhimfromthespiritualwoundsinflictedbytheseunorthodoxviews.

NatureandtheDevelopmentoftheIndividual

Coleridge,Wordsworth,andotherromanticpoetspraisedtheunencumbered,imaginativesoulofyouth,findingimagesinnaturewithwhichtodescribeit.Accordingtotheirformulation,experiencingnaturewasanintegralpartofthedevelopmentofacompletesoulandsenseofpersonhood.ThedeathofhisfatherforcedColeridgetoattendschoolinLondon,farawayfromtheruralidyllsofhisyouth,andhelamentedthemissedopportunitiesofhissheltered,city-boundadolescenceinmanypoems,including“FrostatMidnight”（1798）.Here,thespeakersitsquietlybyafire,musingonhislife,whilehisinfantsonsleepsnearby.Herecallshisboardingschooldays,duringwhichhewouldbothdaydreamandlullhimselftosleepbyrememberinghishomefarawayfromthecity,andhetellshissonthatheshallneverberemovedfromnature,thewaythespeakeroncewas.Unlikethespeaker,thesonshallexperiencetheseasonsandshalllearnaboutGodbydiscoveringthebeautyandbountyofthenaturalworld.ThesonshallbegiventheopportunitytodeveloparelationshipwithGodandwithnature,anopportunitydeniedtoboththespeakerandColeridgehimself.ForColeridge,naturehadthecapacitytoteachjoy,love,freedom,andpiety,crucialcharacteristicsforaworthy,developedindividual.

Motifs

ConversationPoems

Coleridgewantedtomimicthepatternsandcadencesofeverydayspeechinhispoetry.Manyofhispoemsopenlyaddressasinglefigure—thespeaker’swife,son,friend,andsoon—wholistenssilentlytothesimple,straightforwardlanguageofthespeaker.Unlikethedescriptive,long,digressivepoemsofColeridge’sclassicistpredecessors,Coleridge’sso-calledconversationpoemsareshort,self-contained,andoftenwithoutadiscernablepoeticform.Colloquial,spontaneous,andfriendly,Coleridge’sconversationpoetryisalsohighlypersonal,frequentlyincorporatingeventsanddetailsofhisdomesticlifeinanefforttowidenthescopeofpossiblepoeticcontent.Althoughhesometimeswroteinblankverse,unrhymediambicpentameter,headaptedthismetricalformtosuitamorecolloquialrhythm.BothWordsworthandColeridgebelievedthateverydaylanguageandspeechrhythmswouldhelpbroadenpoetry’saudiencetoincludethemiddleandlowerclasses,whomighthavefeltexcludedorputoffbytheformandcontentofneoclassicists,suchasAlexanderPope,LadyMaryWortleyMontagu,andJohnDryden.

DelightintheNaturalWorld

Liketheotherromantics,Coleridgeworshipednatureandrecognizedpoetry’scapacitytodescribethebeautyofthenaturalworld.NearlyallofColeridge’spoemsexpressarespectforanddelightinnaturalbeauty.Closeobservation,greatattentiontodetail,andprecisedescriptionsofcoloraptlydemonstrateColeridge’srespectanddelight.Somepoems,suchas“ThisLime-TreeBowerMyPrison,”“YouthandAge”（1834）,and“FrostatMidnight,”mournthespeakers’physicalisolationfromtheoutsideworld.Others,including“TheEolianHarp,”useimagesofnaturetoexplorephilosophicalandanalyticalideas.Stillotherpoems,including“TheNightingale”（ca.1798）,simplypraisenature’sbeauty.

Evenpoemsthatdon’tdirectlydealwithnature,including“KublaKhan”and“TheRimeoftheAncientMariner,”derivesomesymbolsandimagesfromnature.Nevertheless,Coleridgeguardedagainstthepatheticfallacy,ortheattributionofhumanfeelingtothenaturalworld.ToColeridge,naturecontainedaninnate,constantjoyousnesswhollyseparatefromtheupsanddownsofhumanexperience.

Prayer

AlthoughColeridge’sproserevealsmoreofhisreligiousphilosophizingthanhispoetry,God,Christianity,andtheactofprayerappearinsomeforminnearlyallofhispoems.ThesonofanAnglicanvicar,ColeridgevacillatedfromsupportingtocriticizingChristiantenetsandtheChurchofEngland.Despit