A Study Of The British Colonial Expansion And The Romantic Orientalism In Coleridge’s Poetry

As a representative of romantic poets, Coleridge’s poetry has intrigued numerouscritics’ different interpretations from the perspectives of esthetic ideas, religious beliefand critical theories, etc. However, researchers seldom set foot in the studies of hisoriental complex, his infatuation with the East and the eastern elements in his poetry.Besides, most of these critical essays focus only on his most famous poems like KublaKhan while other poems which are also significant in deciphering his literary thoughtsare seldom included in researches such as The Ballad of Dark Ladie and A Lover’sComplaint to His Mistress.This thesis attempts to discuss Coleridge’s Romantic Orientalism in his poetrywith a detailed explanation of the influence of British colonial expansion on hiswriting. By doing this, Coleridge’s views and attitudes towards the East can beconsequently manifested. At the same time, the thesis also explores the causes thatlead to such writing from the perspectives of historical background, psychologicalneed and cultural and social influence. The whole thesis consists of five parts. In theintroduction, a comprehensive summary of the contemporary studies concerningColeridge’s Romantic Orientalism in poetry at home and abroad is provided. Besides,the central argument of the thesis, the research methods to be adopted and thesignificance of this study are also explained in detail.In Chapter One, the thesis gives a general introduction to the historicalbackground of British colonial expansion in romantic period and also the rising ofRomantic Orientalism. Moreover, importance is attached to the definition of theOrient and Romantic Orientalism. During the romantic period, the orientalrenaissance gave poets access to the remote and mysterious East, thus formingrespectively their own understandings of this exotic land. In Chapter Two, the thesisdiscusses the influence of British colonial expansion on Coleridge’s RomanticOrientalism and provides the analysis of Romantic Orientalism in Coleridge’s poetryfrom the perspectives of colonialism, consumerism and exoticism respectively. InChapter Three, the thesis focuses on the discussion of Coleridge’s real attitudestowards the East and tries to reveal the causes of the duality in his thought.Through analysis, it can be concluded that Coleridge’s attitude towards the Orientreflected in his poetry is quite contradictory. On one hand, he views the Orient as a free paradise to escape from the British despotism where he can found an ideal utopia.On the other hand, Coleridge’s dream is based on his hidden superiority over theOrient. At the same time, an anxiety that the colonial control may be overpowered tocause chaos bothers him all the time.