“In your opinion, how were the poems of Samuel Taylor Coleridge shaped by the Scientific, philosophic, religious and economic paradigms of the 18th and 19th centuries?”
Romanticism was a revolutionary artistic and philosophic movement, which redefined the traditional ways in which Western cultures thought about themselves and their world. The poems of Samuel Taylor Coleridge represent the ways in which art and literature were shaped by the scientific, religious, philosophic and economic paradigms of the Romantic Movement. His poems ‘This Lime Tree Bower My Prison’ (1797), ‘Kubla Khan’ (1797),‘Frost at Midnight’ (1798) and ‘Rime of the Ancient Mariner’ (1798) are prime examples of the Romantic period, which each display Coleridge’s unique writing style. ‘Frost at Midnight’ discusses Coleridge's childhood experience in a negative manner and emphasizes the need to be raised in the countryside and far away from the rational and scientific explanation. ‘Kubla Khan’ describes a beautiful kingdom in a mystical land where nature is as beautiful as it is deadly and nature idealist values were the prime philosophical values surrounding the poems. ‘Rime of the Ancient Mariner’ illustrates Coleridge’s unhappiness with the economic attitudes of his time as he describes a world where ignoring nature and favoring industrialism will only wreak havoc. Finally, ‘This Lime Tree Bower My Prison’ outlines an imaginative journey, which Coleridge undertakes, in the presence of nature which is thought of as a religion. Thus, these poems are fitting for understanding and appreciating the nature and values of the Romantic Movement as the revolutionary poet and founder of the Romantic Movement created them.
Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s poem ‘This Lime Tree Bower My Prison’ exemplifies many of the feelings towards nature such as the power of the divine reflected in nature, which contemporaries of the time shared, including German theologian Jakob Böhme. The poem follows the spiritual and imaginative journey of Coleridge as he leaves his “prison” and embarks upon discovering and describing the beauties of nature. As the poem progresses and Coleridge’s imagination becomes stronger, he expresses the sublime aspects of nature and its strong link with religion, “lov’d to see the shadow of the leaf and stem above dappling in its sunshine!”. This reflects the ideas of Böhme who valued nature as a way of knowing yourself and knowing God. Coleridge uses the terms “thou” and “ye” in reference to the Sun and clouds, essentially lifting them to the level of a deity, hence they are able to partake in the majesty of God. Coleridge further uses more heightened language as he links nature and religion by describing the sky as, “the wide, wide heaven”. Coleridge evokes ideas of pantheism in order for his good friend Charles Lamb to experience God within nature and nature within God “Henceforth I shall know that nature ne'er deserts the wise and pure”. Pantheism sees the Romantics transcending nature to the heavens and allowing them to experience God himself through the beauty of the surroundings. Thus, through his subtle allusions to pantheism and the strong linking of nature and religion in ‘This Lime Tree Bower My Prison’, Coleridge not only makes nature imminent for his dear friend Charles Lamb but questions the nature and form of religion, an inheritance from the late 18th century Enlightenment, as nature seems just as powerful, if not more than God or religion itself. Therefore, ‘This Lime Tree Bower My Prison’ has clearly been shaped to communicate Coleridge’s and the Romantic’s desire for an alternative form of spirituality grounded within nature.
Moreover, Coleridge’s mythical and supernatural poem Kubla Khan adheres to philosophical values of the Romantic Era such as the idolization of nature and idealism which is any various systems of thought in which the objects of knowledge are held to be in some way dependent on the activity of mind. The preceding Enlightenment era valued explaining the world objectively based only on reasoning, facts and logic. It attempted to explain the world through a series of scientifically proven laws that accounted for all facets of life as seen in the work of Enlightenment scientist Sir Isaac Newton. However, Romantic philosophy saw a fundamental shift from viewing and thinking about the world from a scientific objective view, to a subjective view as highlighted by the French philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau. The recurring image of the" sunny dome” and “caves of ice!" contrast between what man idealises and what nature creates. By describing the dome as sunny and warm and the caves as cold and icy, Coleridge finds yet another way to emphasize the difference between the manmade and the natural worlds. But here, we see a harmonious juxtaposition of man and nature, “Through caverns measureless to man”. Thus, the subjective viewpoint became highly valued and was considered key to understanding the world under idealism . The “caverns measureless to man” serves as a Romantic counterargument to the ideals of the Enlightenment. The caverns are a symbol of the things we can’t conceive within nature. The persona emphasizes the dark and mysterious nature of the caverns through the image of “ceaseless turmoil seething” within the chasm, the sibilance gives the effect of a threatening, unsettling atmosphere. Thus, Coleridge used his poetry to explore conflicting issues in philosophy and interpret Rousseau’s teachings into his poetry.
Furthermore, Coleridge violently rejects scientific explanation in favour of pure imagination and nature in ‘Frost at Midnight’. The Romantics believed that the world was a chaotic mess and no man could understand or explain it, which, thoroughly disagreed with the Enlightenment principles. Scientific theories that began to emerge during the 18th and 19th century restricted the place of God in the universe whereas in ‘Frost at Midnight God’ spirituality can be found in anything having an omnipresent nature, such as an ember from a dying fire, personified as the “fluttering stranger”. The impact on Coleridge of changes in scientific opinion, as exemplified by the work of Newton, was profound, influencing him to reconsider his outlook on the world. Most early Romantics remained supportive of their religious faith whilst writing, but displayed an understanding of the scientific theories relating to the creation of the world whereas Coleridge seems to be less concerned to balance the two. This is demonstrated through his overwhelming love of nature, “it thrills my heart/ With tender gladness, thus to look at thee,/And think that thou shalt learn far other lore,/And in far other scenes!” in which the use of exclamation, high modality of language and confident tone all combine to show the intensity of his love for nature. The persona is overjoyed that his son will grow up and learn from nature, which he considers God, as he lived in the city growing up, “But thou, my babe! Shalt wander like a breeze by lakes and sandy shores” and learn from nature and all that God has created. He tells his child that God will be his teacher, and that “God will mold his spirit.” Coleridge understood that God created Nature, which he sees as a replacement to, or alternative form of religion. The natural world, studied more intently after the scientific reforms of the French Revolution, was to be worshipped for its beauty, and qualities of emotional and psychological rejuvenation. As such, ‘Frost at Midnight has been created around Coleridge’s distaste towards scientific rationalism of the 18th and 19th centuries.
Finally, Coleridge’s insightfully deep poem ‘Rime of the Ancient Mariner’ represents a significant dissatisfaction with the economic restructuring of his time and as such, largely a disassociation with this paradigm. Coleridge uses this poem to illustrate the dangers of economical progress and the favoring of expansion over the natural world. As stated previously, the Romantics privileged a connection to the natural, and thus a connection to economics was not fundamentally valued. Rousseau’s concept of the ‘noble savage’ became tremendously noteworthy as it valued living in a pure state of nature. Religiosity is found within nature and relating this to the purity of the simple lifestyle, “he keels at morn and noon and eve” and “this hermit good lives in that wood which slopes down to the sea” as opposed to the Industrial world that Coleridge knows so well. Romantics believed that nature offered a refuge from the artificial constructs of economic civilization. Civilization and economy was considered too rational, and too mechanical, and instead nature offered a more organic, passionate and imaginative method of being evident in the symbolic “albatross”. The albatross symbolizes the desire to be free of the corrupting influences of the Industrial Revolution. Thus disassociation from the economic class structuring of society was greatly encouraged. This is evident in Coleridge’s epic poem ‘Rime of the Ancient Mariner’, as the narrator has come to be distanced from society, and warns of the disconnection to the natural world, “who loveth well/Both man and bird and beast” demonstrates Coleridge and his stance on economic value above the natural world. Coleridge therefore fought against the radically changing economic structure of Industrialization as it went against the core values of Romanticism.
Samuel Taylor Coleridge is able to communicate his innovative ideas through the complex and thought provoking form of poetry, which is why he is considered a brilliant Romantic thinker and poet. His poems – ‘Frost at Midnight’, ‘Rime of the Ancient Mariner’, ‘This Lime Tree Bower My Prison’ and ‘Kubla Khan’ represent the ways in which art and literature have been shaped by the economic, philosophical, religious and scientific paradigms of the 18th and 19th century as the Romantic struggle against reason raged on. These poems effectively influence the reader through a distinctive poetic style and his personal values and his stance against the modernized values of his increasingly Industrial society. Thus, Coleridge and his works of poetic genius should be appreciated as a deep, personal creation as seen in a quote from Coleridge’s good friend and fellow pioneer of the Romantic Movement William Wordsworth, “Poetry is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings: it takes its origin from emotion recollected in tranquility.”
Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s poem ‘This Lime Tree Bower My Prison’ exemplifies many of the feelings towards nature such as the power of the divine reflected in nature, which contemporaries of the time shared, including German theologian Jakob Böhme. The poem follows the spiritual and imaginative journey of Coleridge as he leaves his “prison” and embarks upon discovering and describing the beauties of nature. As the poem progresses and Coleridge’s imagination becomes stronger, he expresses the sublime aspects of nature and its strong link with religion, “lov’d to see the shadow of the leaf and stem above dappling in its sunshine!”. This reflects the ideas of Böhme who valued nature as a way of knowing yourself and knowing God. Coleridge uses the terms “thou” and “ye” in reference to the Sun and clouds, essentially lifting them to the level of a deity, hence they are able to partake in the majesty of God. Coleridge further uses more heightened language as he links nature and religion by describing the sky as, “the wide, wide heaven”. Coleridge evokes ideas of pantheism in order for his good friend Charles Lamb to experience God within nature and nature within God “Henceforth I shall know that nature ne'er deserts the wise and pure”. Pantheism sees the Romantics transcending nature to the heavens and allowing them to experience God himself through the beauty of the surroundings. Thus, through his subtle allusions to pantheism and the strong linking of nature and religion in ‘This Lime Tree Bower My Prison’, Coleridge not only makes nature imminent for his dear friend Charles Lamb but questions the nature and form of religion, an inheritance from the late 18th century Enlightenment, as nature seems just as powerful, if not more than God or religion itself. Therefore, ‘This Lime Tree Bower My Prison’ has clearly been shaped to communicate Coleridge’s and the Romantic’s desire for an alternative form of spirituality grounded within nature.
Moreover, Coleridge’s mythical and supernatural poem Kubla Khan adheres to philosophical values of the Romantic Era such as the idolization of nature and idealism which is any various systems of thought in which the objects of knowledge are held to be in some way dependent on the activity of mind. The preceding Enlightenment era valued explaining the world objectively based only on reasoning, facts and logic. It attempted to explain the world through a series of scientifically proven laws that accounted for all facets of life as seen in the work of Enlightenment scientist Sir Isaac Newton. However, Romantic philosophy saw a fundamental shift from viewing and thinking about the world from a scientific objective view, to a subjective view as highlighted by the French philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau. The recurring image of the" sunny dome” and “caves of ice!" contrast between what man idealises and what nature creates. By describing the dome as sunny and warm and the caves as cold and icy, Coleridge finds yet another way to emphasize the difference between the manmade and the natural worlds. But here, we see a harmonious juxtaposition of man and nature, “Through caverns measureless to man”. Thus, the subjective viewpoint became highly valued and was considered key to understanding the world under idealism . The “caverns measureless to man” serves as a Romantic counterargument to the ideals of the Enlightenment. The caverns are a symbol of the things we can’t conceive within nature. The persona emphasizes the dark and mysterious nature of the caverns through the image of “ceaseless turmoil seething” within the chasm, the sibilance gives the effect of a threatening, unsettling atmosphere. Thus, Coleridge used his poetry to explore conflicting issues in philosophy and interpret Rousseau’s teachings into his poetry.
Furthermore, Coleridge violently rejects scientific explanation in favour of pure imagination and nature in ‘Frost at Midnight’. The Romantics believed that the world was a chaotic mess and no man could understand or explain it, which, thoroughly disagreed with the Enlightenment principles. Scientific theories that began to emerge during the 18th and 19th century restricted the place of God in the universe whereas in ‘Frost at Midnight God’ spirituality can be found in anything having an omnipresent nature, such as an ember from a dying fire, personified as the “fluttering stranger”. The impact on Coleridge of changes in scientific opinion, as exemplified by the work of Newton, was profound, influencing him to reconsider his outlook on the world. Most early Romantics remained supportive of their religious faith whilst writing, but displayed an understanding of the scientific theories relating to the creation of the world whereas Coleridge seems to be less concerned to balance the two. This is demonstrated through his overwhelming love of nature, “it thrills my heart/ With tender gladness, thus to look at thee,/And think that thou shalt learn far other lore,/And in far other scenes!” in which the use of exclamation, high modality of language and confident tone all combine to show the intensity of his love for nature. The persona is overjoyed that his son will grow up and learn from nature, which he considers God, as he lived in the city growing up, “But thou, my babe! Shalt wander like a breeze by lakes and sandy shores” and learn from nature and all that God has created. He tells his child that God will be his teacher, and that “God will mold his spirit.” Coleridge understood that God created Nature, which he sees as a replacement to, or alternative form of religion. The natural world, studied more intently after the scientific reforms of the French Revolution, was to be worshipped for its beauty, and qualities of emotional and psychological rejuvenation. As such, ‘Frost at Midnight has been created around Coleridge’s distaste towards scientific rationalism of the 18th and 19th centuries.
Finally, Coleridge’s insightfully deep poem ‘Rime of the Ancient Mariner’ represents a significant dissatisfaction with the economic restructuring of his time and as such, largely a disassociation with this paradigm. Coleridge uses this poem to illustrate the dangers of economical progress and the favoring of expansion over the natural world. As stated previously, the Romantics privileged a connection to the natural, and thus a connection to economics was not fundamentally valued. Rousseau’s concept of the ‘noble savage’ became tremendously noteworthy as it valued living in a pure state of nature. Religiosity is found within nature and relating this to the purity of the simple lifestyle, “he keels at morn and noon and eve” and “this hermit good lives in that wood which slopes down to the sea” as opposed to the Industrial world that Coleridge knows so well. Romantics believed that nature offered a refuge from the artificial constructs of economic civilization. Civilization and economy was considered too rational, and too mechanical, and instead nature offered a more organic, passionate and imaginative method of being evident in the symbolic “albatross”. The albatross symbolizes the desire to be free of the corrupting influences of the Industrial Revolution. Thus disassociation from the economic class structuring of society was greatly encouraged. This is evident in Coleridge’s epic poem ‘Rime of the Ancient Mariner’, as the narrator has come to be distanced from society, and warns of the disconnection to the natural world, “who loveth well/Both man and bird and beast” demonstrates Coleridge and his stance on economic value above the natural world. Coleridge therefore fought against the radically changing economic structure of Industrialization as it went against the core values of Romanticism.
Samuel Taylor Coleridge is able to communicate his innovative ideas through the complex and thought provoking form of poetry, which is why he is considered a brilliant Romantic thinker and poet. His poems – ‘Frost at Midnight’, ‘Rime of the Ancient Mariner’, ‘This Lime Tree Bower My Prison’ and ‘Kubla Khan’ represent the ways in which art and literature have been shaped by the economic, philosophical, religious and scientific paradigms of the 18th and 19th century as the Romantic struggle against reason raged on. These poems effectively influence the reader through a distinctive poetic style and his personal values and his stance against the modernized values of his increasingly Industrial society. Thus, Coleridge and his works of poetic genius should be appreciated as a deep, personal creation as seen in a quote from Coleridge’s good friend and fellow pioneer of the Romantic Movement William Wordsworth, “Poetry is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings: it takes its origin from emotion recollected in tranquility.”