Coleridge
...and language techniques it has been written in. Not only that, we have to look at the Coleridge as a poet as well, for some may say he was a mental case, while the other will seek explanation in his medical conditions. At this point all I can promise is that I will seek evidence and explanation on this poem as best as I can and that all the references will be taken from
As a poet Coleridge has released masterpieces on few occasions but in my opinion none better than Kubla Khan. Almost everyone that has read Kubla Khan has found the poem as extraordinary. Also the acknowledgment goes to the poet himself, for stepping out of Romantic period and to write a poem about barbaric times. The other reason that I find this poem so fascinating is its length. For such a short poem it has evoked so many critical commentaries. This poem has spawned on hundreds of pages of analysis and discussions. Simply no poem with such length has been studied more thoroughly in any language known to human kind. Despite all its fame the poem does not have critical unanimity and there is little agreement on numbers of really important issues. Such issues are structural integrity, its meaning, sources in Coleridge’s reading and observation of nature, date of composition and relationship with Preface that has been introduced in Coleridge’s first publication in 1816. Kubla Khan is considered as a brilliant work with no particular theme. Despite its complexity poem can still be described as exposition on human genius and art.
However the real meaning of the poem lies behind Coleridge’s medical condition. It is known that Coleridge has been taking opium as antibiotic which helped him with his health issues. It is believed that Kubla Khan has been written by Coleridge after he has taken opium and fell asleep in his home. The sleep has produced the dream set Coleridge on a journey...
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