Themes: Dreams and Visions
An excellent illustration of the emphasis on dreams and visions in romantic literature is Coleridge's poem "Kubla Khan" (1816), which he claimed to have "written" while in a deep slumber. As he was transcribing the verses from his dream, he was interrupted by a visitor. Coleridge later suggested that, if not for this interruption, the poem would have been significantly longer. The idea that one could create poetry during sleep was widely embraced by romantics. Although critics of the time were not particularly impressed by "Kubla Khan," no one doubted the possibility of dreaming such an extensive poem.
Coleridge was not the sole poet who claimed to draw inspiration from dreams. John Milton also asserted that he received verses in his sleep, and Keats, among others, believed poets had a unique talent for transforming dreams into words. Furthermore, opium was inexpensive and easily accessible, and its use was not yet deemed harmful. Some writers, most notably Thomas De Quincey, author of Confessions of an Opium Eater, used it to access what they perceived as a higher, more visionary state of mind.
Expert Q&A
Why is imagination closely linked with Romanticism?
Imagination is closely linked with Romanticism as a reaction against the Enlightenment's emphasis on logic and reason. Romanticism valued emotion and imagination, which were seen as integral to human experience. Romantics sought to capture emotional states and delve into memory and ordinary lives, often using the supernatural and fantastical elements. This approach, exemplified in works like Lyrical Ballads and Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, aimed to evoke intense emotions and highlight the importance of imagination.
How did the Romantic poets perceive imagination?
The Romantic poets viewed imagination as a vital creative force, contrasting with Enlightenment rationalism. Coleridge distinguished between "fancy," a lower-order imagination rearranging sensory experiences, and true imagination, which synthesizes disparate elements into a unified whole, creating beauty and truth. Imagination was seen as the supreme faculty of the mind, allowing poets to parallel divine creativity, often expressed through nature, dreams, and visions, embodying a pantheistic view where nature and the divine are identical.
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