Show how Christabel
naturalizes the supernatural.
Supernaturalism is an
outstanding romantic quality. It gives certain poems an eerie atmosphere by
virtue of which the romantic poetry is often called the “renaissance of
wonder”. Coleridge (1772-1834) is one of the greatest of romantic poets who touched lightly on all the keys of
poetic expression, but he remains unequaled in one sphere of poetry – that is
supernatural. Before Coleridge supernatural element had applied in English
literature (apart from drama) in the works of Horace Walpole, Mrs. Ann Radcliff
and Monk Lewis. While planning a new volume of poems to be jointly written by
Wordsworth and Coleridge, Coleridge undertook to deal with the supernatural. As
he himself tells us in “Biographia Literaria” (1817): “It was agreed that my
endeavours should be directed to persons and characters supernatural or at
least romantic, yet so as to transfer from our inward nature a human interest
and a semblance of truth sufficient to procure for these shadow of imagination
that willing suspension of disbelief for the moment which constitutes poetic
faith”. Coleridge in his masterpieces like ‘Rime of the Ancient Mariner’,
‘Kubla Khan’ and ‘Christabel’ has shown his unrivalled mastery in his
treatment of supernaturalism. He has created the atmosphere with his ruthless
exclusion of crudity and sole reliance on subtle suggestive means. The remark
that “the thing attempted in Christabel is the most delightful in the whole
field of romance: Wicker by daylight” – indicates the peculiar quality of the
supernatural element in the poem. Now let us see how far Coleridge’s
‘Christabel’ is imbued with supernatural element.
‘Christabel’ is a graceful recreation of the medieval world of fantasy, magic
and marvel. Here Coleridge does not attach to the supernatural to anything
concrete and definite rather by hinting invites the supernatural with the air
of suggestion and indefiniteness which not only strikes the readers for its
failure, but it suggests eeriness of a remote horror. Above all, the trick of
carry on the narrative through question and answer is very much apt to this
purpose...................
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