Samuel Taylor Coleridge introduces two concepts in his poem “Kubla Khan”, as well as its prologue: the variability of the imagination, and beauty of the exotic and foreign. Scholars consider the story of how the poem was composed to be one of the major events in Romantic Literature and the Romantic Movement. Gregory Leadbetter says, “It’s its own creation story.” This “myth” should not overshadow the poem, as Coleridge displays great poetic talent and illustrates what Edward Said later called “Orientalism.”

Coleridge describes how, in the preface to the poem, he created the poem from a dream where “all the images of the poem rose before him like things and the correlative expressions were produced simultaneously”. Coleridge was allegedly given between 200 and 300 lines of poetry in his dream. Coleridge wrote only fifty-four lines as a result of an unrecognized interruption. The fragmentation of this poem is important because it shows the limitations of imagination. Coleridge seems to be disappointed with himself, almost feeling robbed. In the prologue he says, “I will sing a sweeter tune tomorrow. But to-morrow has yet to come.”

Coleridge seems unwilling to accept that perfection, even if it is close, will always be beyond our grasp. This disappointment in himself continues in the poem with the lines “CouldI revive withinme / Hersymphonyandson,/ To a such deep delight’twouldwin me,/ That / with music loud-and-long,/ / Iwould build that domein the air”. [Lines 44-46] He wants to reimagine his dream to complete the poem. The poem does have a certain pride to it, as he calls it “sweet” (pg.460) inadvertently. This implies that while perfection and true excellence are not possible due to human limitations, there is still a way of getting close. Coleridge sees the imagination as something that has limits but can still achieve great things.

The exotic also has a strong presence in the poem. The poem’s sense of awe, mystery and beauty is a testament to the impact of the extravagant ideas and images about the court Kublai Khan. Coleridge describes “Alph, a holy river” [Line 3], “twice-five miles of fertile grounds / With walls & towers girdled by” [Lines 6-7] as well as “A sunny, pleasure-dome surrounded by ice caves” [Line 6]. His descriptions are hyperbolic and show a passion to describe the foreign. Wordsworth is more interested in “steep, lofty cliffs”, “hedge-rows… hardly hedge-rows… little lines of sportive wood run free” while Coleridge prefers the overt grandeur.

It often appears that this is a case of glorifying the exotic just because it’s exotic. This is done by capitalizing on misconceptions about the Orient. Coleridge may have merely reimagined stereotypes, having never visited the Orient beyond the writings by Samuel Purchas and Marco Polo. This can be interpreted in the same way as Edward Said’s 1978 book Orientalism, which explored the cultural myth. Said’s description of the Orient is a good fit for Coleridge’s view of the Orient in ‘Kubla Khn’. It shows that Coleridge views the Orient through the lens of a British and French cultural enterprise. One could argue that Coleridge, in a post-colonial or Orientalist perspective, is using this poem to reinforce cultural stereotypes.

Coleridge shows off his incredible talent and abilities as a composer in ‘Kubla Khan. Coleridge brings to light two major issues in Romantic Literature and Literature at large. First, the human mind, while capable of amazing feats, does not always live up to our expectations. It is also true that there are literary works that we consider classics, with ideas and imagery which in the modern world could be seen to be demeaning.

Works Cited

Gregory Leadbetter. Coleridge’s Daemonic Imagination. New York : Palgrave Macmillan. 2011 p.183

The Norton Anthology of English Literature, The Romantic Period. Ed. Stephen Greenblatt [New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2012], p.460. by Stephen Greenblatt [New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2012], pp.460. The entire text is based on this edition.

William Wordsworth’s ‘Tintern Abbey,’ in The Norton Anthology of English Literature, The Romantic Period. By Stephen Greenblatt [New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2012], pp.288

Edward Said: ‘Orientalism’ in The Norton Anthology of Theory and Criticism. Vincent B. Leitch. New York: W. W. Norton & Company. 2010. Page 1866. This edition is the one cited in all subsequent references. Said, pg.1868