Romantic Poetry

This paper discusses romantic poetry: Analysis of the use of imagery, based on the direct sensory experience of reality and a preference for knowledge derived from the senses. Examples by Wordsworth, Shelley, Byron, Keats and Blake.

Kubla Khan’, described ‘almost as a definition of Coleridge’s poetry’ , on the other hand, was written following a dream he had while under the influence of opium. The context itself sets the reader up for a piece written after the moment itself has passed, and is instead a recollection of the experience he underwent. This is further highlighted in the poem itself, as he speaks of ‘a vision [he] once saw’ (l. 38), and attempts to ‘revive…Her symphony and song’ (ll. 42-43). At this point there is a change in the tone of the piece as Coleridge is no longer remembering what he dreamt, but instead using his power of imagination to create what he envisioned as the continuation of a dream, the writing of which was allegedly interrupted.