Samuel Taylor Coleridge's "Christabel" Gothic

Samuel Taylor Coleridge's "Christabel" Gothic Elements of Samuel Taylor Coleridge's "Christabel" In the early 19th century, the Romantic writers introduced fantastic elements into their writing, which soon become its own important literary style. This style was a natural answer to the unease that was felt from the rather oppressive Age of Reason, and, as a consequence, struck a death toll for the Enlightenment.

The economic and societal collages of England at this time inspired writers to turn to the supernatural and fantastic as a means of escape from their dark world. One part of this literary genre is Gothic literature. Though often difficult to pin down as a definition, The Norton Anthology states that the "Gothic came to designate.. The terrifying, especially the pleasurably terrifying" (588). To be truly Gothic, piece of literature must contain certain distinguishing elements to be considered Gothic.

Some of these elements are a concentration on the darker side of life, a setting that seems dark, decayed or old, and an overall sense of an adult fairytale being told. Many times there will be a theme of female helplessness within these tales as well. These elements are certainly present in Samuel Taylor Coleridge's "Chritabel." Along with William Wordsworth, Coleridge had an active hand in changing the face of poetry forever when they published their Lyrical Ballads in 1798.

In this work, as well as his future work, Coleridge explored "the development of the human person, on how selves are made and lost," by introducing fantasy and innovative story lines that developed as the poem developed instead of simply focusing on a static "picture" or event (Taylor 707). This is a reflection of the times in which Coleridge lived. Much of the focus at this time was on the various scientific ideas that were in their infancy.

Psychology and sociology were all but unheard of at the time, and so Coleridge's exploration of the inner self is truly innovative, but it was also his interest in things even more mysterious than this that likely generated the ideas for "Christabel." Since The Enlightenment advocated reason and logic above all other modes of thought and philosophy, this interest in the spiritual and illogical seems a natural backlash to the psychological and social pressures The Enlightenment placed on its most creative individuals.

In the first lines "Tis the middle of night by the castle clock, / And the owls have awakened the crowing cock." (1,2) Coleridge sets up an ominous tone that will continue throughout the poem. The story the poem tells is dark and full of supernatural elements. Cold nights, strange, wandering maidens, ghosts and possession all serve to generate rather disturbing piece of literature. Another element that the Gothic genre is known for is exploration of homosexuality.

Gothic literature will often touch on taboo topics rather blatantly both for sheer shock value, and occasionally as a vehicle for the author to illustrate some point. In this case it is difficult to say whether Coleridge intended the reader to pick up on some message, or if the homoerotic elements were presented simply to shock and titillate the reader.

It is interesting, however, that Coleridge chose to describe two women in a homoerotic situation since lesbianism was practically unheard of at the time whereas male homosexuality, though illegal, was at least recognized. It's even more interesting in the face of Coleridge's history of unease with women (Grossberg 152). The two main characters in this piece are Christabel and Geraldine. Geraldine's appearance coincides with a mysterious sound that is never identified, and is but one indication of her supernatural origins.

It has been suggested that Geraldine is the first appearance of a vampire in literature, though she is referred to as a witch in the text itself. She has a strongly homoerotic connection to Christabel, one of Sir Leoline's, the baron who owns the castle where the poem takes place, daughters. Christabel is enchanted by Geraldine, whether literally or figuratively, though she is terrified as well. Essentially Christabel and Geraldine set up a clear dichotomy of good and evil in the work.

Of course it isn't just the words and characters that lend any meaning to the poem. The physical structure itself of the poem seems to communicate a number of things. The first part of the poem seems to be very mysterious, almost tentative in that neither the reader nor the narrator seem very sure whether Geraldine is in fact evil.

The beginning of the tale unfolds much like the tender youth of Christabel, though we already see signs of her independence in that she is out alone at night to encounter Geraldine. Still, things are not nearly as dark in the first part as they are in the second. This serves to illustrate several things through this structure; one is for the reader to see the passage of time. It is necessary to understand that these events did not happen quickly, and that Christabel grows physically as well.