Sexuality and Violence in Samuel Taylor Coleridges Kubla Khan and Christabel - Research Paper Example

?Damascus School of Humanities and Social Sciences Department of English Language and Literature Master Program in Literary Studies Studies in Poetry Sexuality and Violence in Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s Kubla Khan and Christabel Suher Hussein Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834) was a devoted poet, which he proved by contributing to literature until the time he died, and his contribution today is valued for having set the roots of Romanticism, which got momentum and perspective years later (Radley 99-100). Moreover, Coleridge is known for his dark and rhythmic poetry with vision and extreme imagery involved. His poems are also known for bold themes discussed in unique, indirect yet impactful way; for instance, sexuality, homosexuality, and other themes that involve violence. Thus, the nature of the works produced by Samuel Taylor Coleridge can be generalized after a thorough analysis of his most popular poems. Kubla Khan and Christabel will be discussed in detail, focusing mainly on the bold and intricate themes, such as sexuality and violence, which can be identified in these poems. Prior to commenting on the works, it is important to discuss the general style of writing used by Coleridge in order to get acquainted with his way of approaching his subject matter and how his ideas, images, symbols, and characters are presented. Imagination has been one of the strong points behind the works of Coleridge, and his views of the mind “[are] capable of a poetic re-creation of the world of sense by the fusing and formative power of the imagination” (Abrams 1575). Although all authors and poets have been believed to possess this trait, Coleridge has been said to possess extraordinary qualities in this regard. His works and in particular his use of imagery and words are unique in the sense that they present themes, which an ordinary thinker would not even, imagine linking. In addition, some of Coleridge’s characters have the potential to switch from one mode to another, completely adapting to their present environment and yet being able to give meaning to the abrupt shift. This is also one of the reasons for the sudden and long-term impacts which his poems leave on readers. Although the works of Coleridge are rich with imagery and abstract thinking, they are meaningful when understood in a deeper sense. In other words, his works seem to be the products of deeper intellectual understanding on complex concepts, and his works also discuss significant issues, such as religion1. He uses supernatural concepts and characters, even immortal and existential yet mystical subjects like spirituality, God, evil, vampire femme fatale, and so on. Coleridge work serves as a foundation to modern thinking of nature, spirituality, and philosophy. He is one of the thinkers who used poetry to challenge traditional view of religion and human interaction with our environment. He also delved into the subject of rationality, which challenged many believes in those present times. Additionally, the work of Coleridge challenged the belief in the old hierarchy of god, human beings, beast, and plant and proposed becoming one with nature through harmonious coexistence. This made Coleridge to start using the universe, plants, and beasts to represent some human actions. Although he wrote some poems under the influence of opium, he was able to differentiate the times he was high and the times he was lucid depicting very high level of imagination. This also depicted two level of imagination primary and secondary. Primary imagination came about when he used creativity controlled by his own mind. On the other hand, Coleridge portrayed a higher level of maturity in imagination when he could use opium and later remember things he imagined when under its influence. He could also differentiate the two (Manhar web) However, it would not be wrong to assume that he used to worship nature in his works, which is why other Romantics praise him. The explanation and detailing in his works are out of this world, which is only possible due to the use of powerful imagery and metaphorical writing style whereby nature stands for something else, rather than remaining concrete. Also, he is often appraised for using symbols in a tricky yet appealing manner; for instance, he uses the sun many as a symbol for power, influence, and other Godly traits. For example, in his poem The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, Coleridge compares the sun to God, saying that “like God’s own head…. The glorious Sun uprist” (97-98). Similarly, he uses the moon to represent the darkness of night; he uses the moon in both Kubla Khan and Christabel to depict the most important parts of the poems. In addition, Coleridge is known as a dreamy poet who has managed to put his vision into words for the readers to understand and to be affected from. However, as a general observation, his vision and strong imagery often expresses bold themes, such as sexuality and violence, in his works, for which he has been criticized by man. To shed light on his works Kubla Khan and Christabel, it is crucial to first understand the context of these poems; afterwards, a thorough analysis can be used to draw patterns regarding the bold and violent themes expressed in his works. One poem is about nature, which Coleridge uses symbolically to touch upon other crucial aspects of life. Meanwhile, the other poem revolves around a woman who encounters another woman, whereby quite striking words are used to discuss “taboo” issues such as lesbianism. Kubla Khan is an opium-induced piece2, in which Coleridge addresses the beauty and violence involved with nature; however, the poem deals with nature to explain, commend, and even comment on sexuality and other arousing, pleasurable, intimate moments. On the other hand, Christabel is a Gothic poem3, which focuses on the protagonist Christabel, who meets Geraldine, a woman who claims to have been abducted by some men. However, Geraldine’s personality is overwhelmingly complicated and keeps changing as the poem progresses. In this incomplete poem of Coleridge, many elements of sexuality and lesbianism can be found—which have also become a source of controversy for many—as well as violence. Kubla Khan considered to have been written after an intake of opium by Coleridge, after which he fell asleep (Abrams 1596). Thus, this poem is deemed to be the product of that drug-induced sleep. In fact, Coleridge himself said that he had seen the contents of the poem in his dreams, which he then penned down into words. Thus “[h]is waking moments caught in the ‘sensual music’ of life” (Schulz), as the lines quoted below indicate: In Xanadu did Kubla Khan A stately pleasure-dome decree: Where Alph, the sacred river, ran Through caverns measureless to man Down to a sunless sea. So twice five miles of fertile ground With walls and towers was girdled round: And there were gardens bright with sinuous rills Where blossomed many an incense-bearing tree; And here were forests ancient as the hills, Enfolding sunny spots of greenery. (1-11) These are the opening lines of the poem, which reflect not only the core theme, also the setting of the poem. Coleridge had fallen asleep after reading a piece on Xanadu4, which was the palace of a Chinese ruler; thus, Coleridge claims to have seen the place in his dream. Once he woke up, he started penning down the images and his own thoughts about these images using a strong yet appealing language. However, according to Coleridge himself, he was interrupted by a person from Porlock while he was writing the poem. After this, he forgot the poem, and whatever he wrote after the interruption he said to be his own interpretations and his own work of creativity, unaffected by the dream which he had forgotten (Abrams 1596). On the surface level, a reader might think that Kubla Khan is a poem about a Mongol emperor named Kubla Khan, in a mission of buildinng an exotic place called Xanadu a “pleasure-dome,” where the “sacred river,” Alpha, flows “through caverns measureless to man down to a sunless sea” (2, 3 ,4). However, this kind of interpretation does not display the deeper aesthetic beauty that Coleridge did hide between the lines. However, Josiah Conder comments that the beauty of Kubla Khan as well as Christabel “can only be appreciated by those who have knowledge or imagination sufficient to complete the idea of the whole composition,” because the deep images he saw in his dreams were penned down by him in unique yet impactful words. However, on a latent level, it can be observed that behind that detailed description of nature, there is hidden a plot which the author implies in the context of Kubla Khan. A reader may wonder how this account of Kubla Khan has discussed sexuality or violent themes. However, in order to understand that, one has to read between the lines and understand that nature is symbolic for sexual pleasures. Coleridge has cloaked sexual subtext in his descriptions of natural phenomena. In the first stanza, he compares the beauty of the palace to the beauty of a woman, using the term “stately pleasure dome” (2). This expresses sensuality associated with the acts of sexuality, or, as P. Magnuson puts it as, “the pleasure of a sexual union” (qtd. in Rookmaaker 228). He has been describing the beauty and sexuality associated with a woman, by virtue of which a man finds her attractive and appealing to be fit for mating. He does this through his use of geometrical shapes such as the “dome,” which is similar to the shape of a female’s bosom, which Coleridge has placed as the centre of attention in the poem. In addition, he describes nature in the context of the elements of fertility related to women, which carry the connotation of sexual intercourse. He expresses his thoughts in phrases like “caverns measureless to man,” “fertile ground,” “enfolding sunny spots of greenery,” “chasm,” and “athwart a cedarn cover” (4, 6, 11, 12, 13). These descriptions clearly indicate the reproductive traits of a woman; that is, the female’s genitalia. However, this chasm is not like any other chasm; rather, Coleridge describes it as “deep”, “romantic”, “savage”, “holy,” and “enchanted” (12, 14). These descriptions “suggest, primitively, what is uniquely female—the woman’s sex organ” (Moon 44). Coleridge then links the chasm to a woman, who under the dying moon comes to wail for her demon lover. Her moaning eventually grows incessant; thus, he describes the feelings of women for men in terms of sexuality: “wailing for her demon-lover!”(16). Also, Coleridge continues by stressing the intense pleasure reached during the sexual intercourse using phrases like “as if this earth is fast thick pants were breathing” (18). Coleridge is moving through the poem, smoothly connecting one image with another in order to describe the pleasure associated with intercourse with a woman. Every line in the stanza contributes to describing how each step in the process is sensual and pleasurable using a strong sense of sexuality. Arguably, he could be describing the climax of the pleasurable moment in which, “a mighty fountain momently was forced,” and “it flung up momently the sacred river” in a “swift half-intermitted burst” (19, 24, 20), which is possibly a symbolic for orgasm resulting from mating between man and woman. The symbolism further suggests how after ejaculation, the semen will move in a mazy motion, Through wood and dale the sacred river ran, Then reached the caverns measureless to man, And sank in tumult to a lifeless ocean: (26-28) Thus, “river,” “caverns,” and “lifeless ocean” are replaced respectively with “semen,” “vagina,” and “womb,” the sexual image becomes clearer. Further, after using imagery to depict female genitalia, the imagery further suggests description of coition and ejaculation. The theme of violence is tackled in this poem less explicitly than it is tackled in Christabel. However, he touches upon this theme through his description of various elements of nature, which he observes in the palace. For instance, he first describes the movement of the Alph fountain: Where Alph, the sacred river, ran Through caverns measureless to man Down to a sunless sea. (1) The word “fountain” is said to be symbolic of the cycle, which results in death. This implies that humans are bound to die, no matter how much they try to fight or ignore this fact. Along with these images, he goes on to describe images of a dead, “sunless” sea (5) and a “measureless” (4) cavern, which also contributes to the descriptions of the darkness associated with life. Coleridge also writes, “And 'mid this tumult Kubla heard from far / ancestral voices prophesying war!” (29-30). Here, he tries to explain how he hears the voices of the dead prophesying war, or more specifically the loss of human life. Moreover, in the last stanza, as the speaker shifts from third person to first person narration, he seems to integrate his identity with that of Kubla Khan. The images conjured in these lines—“His flashing eyes, his floating hair! / weave a circle round him thrice” (50-51)—are fearsome, which is yet another violence theme. When read in context, this frightens readers and makes them realize the dark aspects of life. Meanwhile, Christabel5, which is yet another classic written by Coleridge, is a lengthy poem which consists of two parts, though Coleridge had originally planned to write three more parts. Coleridge says,6 “I trust that I shall be able to embody in verse the three parts yet to come, in the course of the present year” (qtd. in Abrams 1598); however, he was unable to do so. The poem remains unfinished, and the piece that is available ends where Sir Leoline, the father of Christabel, is captivated by Geraldine and thus issues orders for her rescue. This poem tells the story of the protagonist, a woman named Christabel. The narrative in Christabel takes a turn when Christabel goes to the woods to pray beside an oak tree. While there, she happens to hear a voice, which belongs to Geraldine, who is a stranger; however, Geraldine claims that she had been abducted from her house by some evil men. Christabel, being a kind woman, pities Geraldine and takes her to her father’s castle. The theme of violence is presented twice in Christabel. The first instance occurs when Geraldine narrates her story and indicates that she was violently raped (taking into consideration she was raped by five warriors). Geraldine says: My name is Geraldine: Five warriors seized me yestermorn, Me, even me, a maid forlorn: They chocked my cries with force and fright, And tied me on a palfrey white. The palfrey was as fleet as wind, And they rode furiously behind. (80-86) The words “seized me,” “chocked my cries,” “tied me,” and even the description of how they rode behind “furiously” suggests violence. Christabel, after hearing her story, offers to help Geraldine. In Spatz’s criticism of the poem, he claims, Christabel helps Geraldine because she sensed in her story “a maiden threatened by sexual violence” (qtd. in Dennis 166). The second time when violence occurs is when Geraldine arguably violates Christabel’s chastity albeit not physically but through sexually suggestive language; she “blemishes the moral record of Christabel” (Bidney 193). Thus, Geraldine in Coleridge’s poem occupies two opposite positions first, as an abuser, when she seduced “sweet” Christabel into lesbian sexual intercourse, and second, as the abused, when she was raped by five warriors. That puts her in an equal position to that of Christabel. Dennis comments that, “Geraldine had experienced sexual abuse just as Christabel has” (165). The setting of the poem, which relates to the theme of violence, must also be kept in mind. In this poem, Coleridge has followed a violence theme, which often uses supernatural good and evil spirits, characters, and concepts to stress the theme. At the beginning of the poem, the poet expresses, "'Tis the middle of night by the castle clock, / And the owls have awakened the crowing cock" (1-2). This part automatically sets the tone of the entire poem as a Gothic one, as Susan Ritter comments: Coleridge sets the poem’s ominous tone. The poem is a dark and supernatural story containing a more sinister tone made up of a rich baron, chilly nights, mysterious, wandering maidens/damsels, and mind possession … In this poem Coleridge takes liberty to introduce a frightening Gothic element – the possession of a woman by another woman. Some critics see this female plot image as an early vampire tale … The cold, barren forest used to set the tone of the poem, the use of knights and castles, the supernatural powers used to overcome the minds/wills of two characters – one male and one female, and the evil mysterious spirit who appears as a damsel in distress can be illustrative of Gothic elements used in this work. Thus, a sense of negativity and uncertainty of what is the hidden meaning can be sensed from the poem’s opening stanzas: Is the night chilly and dark? The night is chilly, but not dark. The thin gray cloud is spread on high, It covers but not hides the sky. The moon is behind, and at the full; And yet she looks both small and dull. The night is chill, the cloud is gray: 'Tis a month before the month of May, And the Spring comes slowly up this way. (16-24) The above stanza clearly indicates the tone, as well as the storytelling technique, used in Christabel. As the poem progresses, it takes several sharp turns whereby Geraldine reveals the true nature of her character and more notably, her physical appearance, a paradox can be identified, and the dark Gothic elements are intensified. At first, Geraldine plays tired and innocent, as if she cannot carry herself: The lady sank, belike through pain, And Christabel with might and main Lifted her up, a weary weight, Over the threshold of the gate. (129-32) Therefore, Christabel carries her to the house, and after “they crossed the court” (144), Christabel encounters strange supernatural signs that mirror Geraldine’s character, which indicate that there must be something unnatural about Geraldine’s character. For instance, the poem says: The mastiff old did not awake, Yet she an angry moan did make! The brands were flat, the brands were dying, Amid their own white ashes lying; (147-48) But when the lady passed, there came A tongue of light, a fit of flame; And Christabel saw the lady’s eye, And nothing else saw she thereby. (156-59) What comes out odd in the above experience is the fact that Geraldine could supernaturally make flames of light on ashes and only Christabel could experience her actions. Additionally, when Geraldine finds out that Christabel’s mother is dead, at first she pities her but later changes opinion. This marks the beginning of intense violence expressed in the poem, as Geraldine rids the entire room of the mother’s spirit to take over Christabel: But soon with altered voice, said she— “Off, wandering mother! Peak and pine! I have power to bid thee flee.” (204-6) “off woman, off! This hour is mine— Though thou her guardian spirit be, Off, woman, off! ‘tis given to me.” (210-13) Geraldine self-appoints herself as Christabel’s guardian after she usurps Christabel’s mother of the role; instead of eliminating danger, she creates it (Bidney 149). Also, when Christabel is spending the night with Geraldine, Geraldine undresses, revealing a strange mark on her body. This indicates that something is unnatural about Geraldine’s figure, which is described by Coleridge: Behold, her bosom and half her side – A sight to dream of, not to tell! O shields her! Shield sweet Christabel! (252-54) Thus, these supernatural signs, Geraldine’s aggressive words toward Christabel’s mother, and Coleridge’s description of Geraldine’s body are expressed in words and imagery that is violent in nature and leaves a strong impact on the readers. In addition to the theme of violence, there are many instances when the theme of sexuality is expressed by Coleridge in Christabel, particularly in instances between Geraldine and the pleasure which Christabel seeks in her. The sexuality of Geraldine is related to the evil spirits and her demonic powers, owing to which she is deemed as a lesbian: “This mark of my shame, this seal of my sorrow” (270). Although this issue is still debated by critics and doubted by many, this sexual subtext is implied during various parts of the poem, such as in the following lines: Beneath the lamp the lady bowed, And slowly rolled her eyes around; Then drawing in her breath aloud, Like one that shuddered, she unbound The cincture from beneath her breast: Her silken robe, and inner vest, Dropt to her feet, and in full view, Behold! her bosom and half her side— (245-51) Although two women sharing a bed does not necessarily show that a sexual violation has happened, Geraldine’s language in this setting strongly suggest that sexual violation is taking place. The naked body of Geraldine is the focus in this context, where the detailing is found to be mentioning all the parts of the body. The image of Geraldine’s body is every male’s fantasy; however, in this poem Coleridge is insinuating that is also a female’s fantasy (246). However, the above lines are a clear description of how Geraldine is overcome by an orgasm-like reaction, such as that of her eyes and the loudness of her breath, contributing to a sexual tone in this stanza. In addition, in the subsequent stanza, there are various instances where other modes of sexuality are depicted. For instance, at another instance, Coleridge writes that: Such gentle thankfulness declare, That (so it seemed) her girded vests Grew tight beneath her heaving breasts. (211-214) Thus, although themes of sexuality can be identified at various points throughout the poem, this indicates that lesbian sexuality in particular is a core theme. Further evidence of this can be seen below: But now unrobe yourself; for I Must pray7, ere yet in bed I lie.” Quoth Christabel, “So let it be!” And as the lady bade, did she. Her gentle limbs did she undress, And lay down in her loveliness. But through her brain of weal and woe So many thoughts moved to and fro, That vain it were her lids to close; So half-way from the bed she rose, And on her elbow did recline To look at the lady Geraldine. (233-44) Both women undress in front of each other, lie together on the same bed and their actions then after suggest sexual relationship which would elsewhere be unacceptable. In this instance, Coleridge has not just written on sexuality but challenged the norms of the predominantly heterosexual society (Ritter 23-24). Geraldine as the “infernal Cupid” (Bidney199) violates the chastity and innocence of “sweet” Christabel. Additionally, Coleridge has used traditional mythology that divides woman into two images. He depicts that a possibility to separate women through sexual experience. There is a spotless maiden described in her “loveliness” and the degraded whore is the other. Love converge the two as the maiden accepts sex, which restores her innocence. The neck that made that white robe wan, Her stately neck, and arms were bare, Her blue-veined feet unsandal'd were, And wildly glittered here and there The gems entangled in her hair. (217) Christabel’s dreams playing a role of her lover and causes the incidence to go up to the climax of sex with Geraldine. Her agitation ends after a consummation of her friendship with Geraldine. Coleridge describes the climax part with “her limbs relax, her countenance grows hard and soft” representing a woman in orgasm. After passing through a harsh life as a child and heartbreak in his youth hood, Coleridge got the inspiration to write poems on sexuality sharing the life he had gone through. After the night dream, Christabel felt very guilty of committing a crime that nobody knew about. She could hardly bear the sight of Geraldine in the morning after sleeping with her the night before. By this, Coleridge represents our sexual behaviours. According to Spatz, Coleridge concludes that there is a big struggle between pleasure and disgust as they compete for control. As Coleridge introduces Christabel’s father in part iii, the theme of violence emerges. This is after Christabel imagines a strong sexual aggressive male defiling her. It represents some father figures who endanger the lives of their daughters through defilement. It also depicts violence through sexuality when sex is used for the wrong reasons (Spatz 108-115) A contradiction between Coleridge’s description of Geraldine as a “damsel bright,” “bright dame,” “brightly lady,” “so bright a dame,” and “bright eyes divine,” (58, 106, 276, 402, 595) and her real nature is often observed in two ways. Either by the above mentioned lines that elude to sexual intercourse between the or by the lines that describe Geraldine’s eyes as of those of serpent and the hissing voices she produces. And drew in her breath with a hissing sound A snake’s small eye blinks dull and shy, And the lady’s eyes they shrunk in her head, Each shrunk up to a serpent’s eye. (459, 583-85) Coleridge, by using such descriptions, is alluding to the serpent that seduced Eve 8(Christabel in this context), and caused the downfall of humanity. As the serpent brought knowledge9 to Eve, so Geraldine brings the joy of sexual intimacy to Christabel. However, some critics might argue that Geraldine did not tempt Christabel; on the contrary, since Christabel was so repressed in her overprotective-father’s mansion—[w]hom her father loves so well” (24)—she seized the chance to go to a distance place “a furlong from the castle gate” (26) in “the middle of the night” (1) while her father is asleep. To emphasize this point further, Coleridge raises the following question: “What makes her in the wood so late, / A furlong from the castle gate?” (25-26). Perhaps she went for seeking a sexual adventure because “her sexuality [has been] repressed” by her “stern nightly father” (Fulford 56). However, after indulging in sexual intercourse through which she satisfied her repressed desires, on waking up, Christabel says, “Sure I have sinned!” (381), and “heaven be praised if all be well!” (382). These two lines illustrate Christabel’s sense of shame and guilt and further prove that she had sex with Geraldine. A detail in the background of the poem serves to reinforce this theme of sexuality. When Christabel goes to pray beneath the oak tree, it is not like any ordinary oak tree: “And naught was green upon the oak, / But moss and rarest mistletoe” (34-33). This description indicates the tree is not green but rather is covered with moss and mistletoe. The sexuality in these two lines lies in the word “mistletoe.” As Biedermann says, mistletoe is “thought to be the sexual organ of the oak” (qtd. in Parry 134). Therefore, under the guise of praying for her betrothed lover, Christabel goes in search of sexual adventure. Thus, this poem is considered as an investigation related to the social and sexual relations. (Fulford 57) Coleridge has the habit of using bold themes like sexuality and violence in his works. He is fascinated with the conflation of violence and sexuality, fear and attraction. Sometimes he cloaks these themes in other elements, like nature, whereby he uses the processes, movements, and actions between objects of nature to explain sexual concepts. However, in other works, he is not hesitant in using direct language to explain sexually arousing concepts and to beautify the parts of body which are otherwise considered to be vulgar. To him, sex seemed unavoidable in friendship because persons desire to be united to some object. He explains love in connection to sex as only attainable when consummation is possible. The actual result of the consummation is bitterness and enmity. After a disillusioned life at forty, Coleridge gives advice to young men on sexuality because they are likely to confuse love with illusions of seducers cynical rationalisation. At his age, he concludes that young men confuse fantasies with love and pour all their heart, only to be heartbroken. Although Coleridge does not directly endorse violence, he does use such themes, settings, or language that inspires fear in the human mind. Coleridge thus uses paradox and Gothic themes, along with dark imagery and negative tone, to depict vehemence. His style of writing and use of controversial themes in an appealing manner owes much to the kind of life he had. Since he had lived alone all his life, without a family as his father had died while he was too young, it had affected him profoundly. Also, he was a radical who had written and contributed much at a time when war was prevalent all around Europe and thus the restlessness prevailed in his mind. Also, the sexual contexts and imagery, and negative connotation which he had related can be related to his married life, after which he had affair with another girl which lasted for a few years, thus his disturbed relations have also immensely effected his works. Sexuality and violence are two pressing themes found common in the work of Samuel Taylor Coleridge. In conclusion, sexuality and violence are two major themes that prevail in the works of Coleridge. He has a deliberate approach to describe different parts of a human being using nature, plants, and animals to depict sexuality. The most visible part of the theme of sexuality comes out well in the “Kubla Khan” Poem that resulted from an opium dream. The poem contains many allusions to sex and sexuality with descriptions of scenery associated with human anatomy. His further descriptions of the behaviour of the woman represent a characteristic of a woman in orgasm. He goes further to describe a male’s behaviour in the climax of sex. The behaviour and the choice of Coleridge themes have a foundation in his poor background as a child and after marriage. The fact that his parents died when he was young contribute to his yearning for love, which he did not get. Additionally, as a youth, he falls in love with a girl, a relationship that did not last long that brought heartbreak. Coleridge poems carry a theme of violence, again which is attributed to his background. Coleridge grew at a time when war was prevalent all around Europe an experience that filled up his mind. He refers to sex without love as bestiality, a feature common in many marriages where love has reduced between the couples. However, Coleridge is a virtuous man who distinguishes sex act as a sacred commitment to a higher being. Works Cited Abrams, M.H., and Stephen Greenblatt, eds. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. New York: W. W. Norton, 2001. 1598-1613. Print. 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Hall & Co., 1999. Web. 16 July 2012. Ritter, Susan. "Gothic Elements in the Poetry of Coleridge and Keats." Cedar Crest College, 2002. Web. 15 July 2012. Rookmaaker, H.R. "'Kubla Khan' In The Context Of Coleridge's Writings Around 1802." English Studies 68.3 (1987): 228. Academic Search Complete. Web. 11 July 2012. Schulz, Max F. "The Dream Voice." The Poetic Voices of Coleridge: A Study of His Desire for Spontaneity and Passion for Order. Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 1963. 101-129. Rpt. in Nineteenth-Century Literature Criticism. Ed. Kathy D. Darrow. Vol. 231. Detroit: Gale, 2011.Literature Resource Center. Web. 19 July 2012. Welch, Dennis M. "Coleridge's Christabel: A Version Of A Family Romance." Women's Studies 21.2 (1992): 163. Academic Search Complete. Web. 11 July 2012. Wheeler, L. Kip. "Literary Terms and Definitions: G." cn.edu. n.p., 30 Mar. 2012. Web. 20 July 2012. Karen, Mahar. “Coleridge's "Kubla Khan": Creation of Genius or Addiction?”Lethbridge Undergraduate Research Journal, 1.1, (2006) Spartz, Jonas, “The Mystery of Eros: Sexual Initiation in Coleridge's ‘Christabel’” Modern Language Association Journal, 90. 1 (1975): 107-116 Read More