Severance and re-integration : syncretic neoplatonism and the genesis of "Kubla Khan"|by Peter James Clark.

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dc.contributor.authorClark, Peter Jamesen_US
dc.date.accessioned2024-08-13T17:54:04Z
dc.date.available2024-08-13T17:54:04Z
dc.date.copyright1989en_US
dc.date.issued1989
dc.degree.departmentDepartment of English
dc.degree.levelMaster of Arts M.A.en
dc.description.abstractAs a result of his philosophical interests and his temperament, Coleridge cultivated a system of thought which M.11. Abrams has defined as "circular emanationism." The idea is a central one in the writings of various Neoplatonists such as Plotinus, Proclus, Ficino, Pico and Boehme. The schema was often portrayed allegorically or parabolically as a journey whose destination was its source re-discovered: Odysseus ultimately returns to his "fatherland" after long and arduous peregrinations (Plotinus), the Christian soul is drawn back to its beloved from whence it came by its love of harmony and antipathy to strife (Ficino, Pico and others). What was dis-integrated re-wins its native integrity. This circular metaphysical schema was enormously attractive to Coleridge and he employed it in imaginative ways in both his poetry and prose. In particular, it was an important element in the development of the Coleridgean theory of imagination and it provided the conceptual underpinnings of both the Rime of the Ancient Mariner and "Kubla Khan." Most importantly, this influence had its effect long before that of the German Romanticists on Coleridge's philosophical and spiritual orientation. The purpose of this paper, then, is to determine the extent and kind of this Neoplatonic influence. This is achieved by examining Coleridge's own intellectual goals and by studying the nature of those writings which he believed held the key to realizing them. It is hoped that a clearer understanding of this aspect of Coleridge's thought will help to dispel the idea that his philosophy and poetry can be fully appreciated without serious consideration being given to his theological orientation .
dc.format.extent130 pages
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/1828/17468
dc.rightsAvailable to the World Wide Weben_US
dc.titleSeverance and re-integration : syncretic neoplatonism and the genesis of "Kubla Khan"|by Peter James Clark.en_US
dc.typeThesisen_US

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