Samuel Taylor Coleridge was a poet during the Romantic Period in England during the eighteenth century.  Coleridge began writing the “Christabel” in 1797 and finished in 1800. Coleridge’s longest poem, “Christabel” has many different interpretations and feelings you get when reading it. Before reading, it is important to take into consideration that the name “Christabel” means a beautiful Christian. The poem starts off by describing a chilly, April night with crowing cocks and a massif dog sitting outside a castle. There is this beautiful young woman, Christabel, who leaves the castle and goes into the woods. The woods are a quiet place for her to pray, for what she dreams about; a husband. As she is praying, she hears a noise and goes to investigate it timidly. In the distance on the other side of the oak tree, she sees someone. Brave Christabel decides to go see, and as she approaches this person or thing, she realizes its a “damsel bright.. silken rode of white…unsandl’d…wildly glittered here and there, the gems entangled in her hair…”. After being questioned by Christabel, we find out that this women is named Geraldine and has been kidnapped from her own kingdom. Christabel, being innocent and kind, decides to bring Geraldine to her castle and allow her to sleep in her room with her because Geraldine proclaimed that the kidnappers would come back for her, Christabel promised that in the morning they can get help from Christabel’s father, Sir Baron. When headed to Christabel’s “chamber”, she convinces Geraldine to be as quiet as possible and when passing the massif, she growls when she senses Geraldine, which was abnormal to do. After they arrive in Christabel’s room, she prays to Mary, but Geraldine does not participate with her. Due to what happened in the forest to Geraldine,  she was anxious, so Christabel gives her wine that her dead mother made. As Geraldine drinks, she realizes that she owes Christabel for her kindness and claims she would do anything to repay her. Christabel then lays in bed but can not fall asleep and Geraldine’s clothes fall off her body. Geraldine than approaches Christabel and lays down beside her. The two women, one older than the other, did sexual acts in Christabel’s room. Christabel thinks about what she has done, as much as she is happy, tears form in her eyes.

The next day, Geraldine wakes up from loud bells ringing slowly. Sir Leoline has them ring everyday to mourn the loss of his wife, who died at Christabel’s birth. Christabel takes Geraldine to meet her father. After discussion, Geraldine reveals that her father is an old friend of Sir Leolines. He realizes two things, one being that Geraldine is beautiful and reminds him somewhat of his wife, and that if he helps her, he can possible regain the friendship of her father. Sir Leoline asks Bracy the bard to escort Geraldine home, which he denies because he claims he has had a dream with a snake that prevented the journey from being successful. After hearing this, Sir Leoline comforts Geraldine and she looks at Christabel. Her eyes are described like a serpents. This makes Christabel faint and go into a nervous wreck. She begs her father to take Geraldine away on her mothers soul and her father gets mad at her for being disrespectful to her guest. The poem finishes with Sir Leoline deciding to take Geraldine on the route home and asks Bracy to take care of Christabel.

When reading, there were several things that surprised me. One of the things I found very ironic is the fact that Christabel went to the woods in order to pray to find a husband, but ends up having an encounter with a woman. Also, when Geraldine asks what Christabel’s mother would think about her, Christabel describes that on her mothers death bed, she claimed that when “strike twelve upon my wedding-day” that her mother would be present. This is also ironic because Geraldine felt the spirit of Christabel’s mother that night and asks her to leave. I found these two ironic because the only reason the mother would be there is on Christabel’s wedding day, which is what she longed for. It was strange that after praying, Geraldine is found and then suspects that her mother is with them in the room as well. Another thing I found interesting is that Christabel’s name means a beautiful Christian, which I interpret as innocent and pure. This definition of her name allows a reader to understand the reason she prayed so hard, and helped Geraldine because she is seen as kind. Also, she has a room decorated with angelic lamps and other decorations that refer to her as a young girl who couldn’t do anything wrong. The reason this is ironic is how can someone so pure be lead to sin and end up not as innocent as seemed. Christabel had sexual relations with an older woman that she doesn’t know. She sinned, yet she constantly prays. Another thing that foreshadowed Geraldine being seen as something evil was when the girls were quietly coming into the castle and the massif let out an angry moan and the fireplace that was dying lit up when Geraldine passed it. This shows that the dog suspected something strange happening with this woman, and the fire symbolizes rage or jealousy. I felt that Geraldine was slightly jealous of Christabel because of the fact that she is younger and innocent. Although Christabel lost her mother, she hasn’t experienced anything like Geraldine, being kidnapped and left in the forest. Christabel is home and free, and that’s what Geraldine wants. This is shown in the repeated line “So free from danger, free from fear…”.

After reading, Anya Taylor’s article called “Coleridge’s “Christabel” and the Phantom Soul, many of the ideas in the poem were made clearer and some were pointed out, that I did not realize. Taylor breaks down the psychological way that Coleridge thought about when writing this poem. For example, she claims that Coleridge wanted to provide an example of what it was like for children who didn’t have any support growing up, versus children who have that. This allowed me to realize that is exactly the problem with Christabel. She grew up without a mother, which is hard because you don’t understand what happens to your body when it changes and you have no one to relate to. Also, Christabel’s father is said to love her a lot, but doesn’t really care for her, which Taylor explains in detail. She states that Sir Leoline is self-consumed in his sorrow for the loss of his wife, and doesn’t even pay attention to Christabel. Taylor gives the example that Christabel can just leave the castle and good into the woods at midnight by herself, with not a single person stopping her. Also, this lack of relationship allows readers to understand why Sir Leoline react to Christabel’s fit at the end of the poem. He doesn’t give her time to explain or confide in him, which makes Christabel feel sorrowful and doesn’t help her sense of self and personality develop. This is also another reason that she wants to help Geraldine so badly. She never had a woman in her life that was so praising and loving of her. This new feeling made her do the things she did, because of her “hunger for love”.  When reading the poem itself, I did not think that anything that Christabel did was seen as something that was intentional, but Taylor claims that giving her the wine, she intentionally got Geraldine drunk and made it seem that was Christabel’s intention, to take advantage of her. I was so surprised by this comment because to me Christabel is not seen as someone who is deceiving. I thought because of her youth, she was not aware that anything bad would happen, even though her curiosity allowed her to sin. Another thing that Taylor claims that Coleridge did was talk about the power struggles with men and women. He does this through experience with many of his female friends and what happened to his sister. this point is understood by showing the power struggle between an older women and a younger one, and the father and the daughter.  Overall, Taylor’s article helped me understand the poem in a more effective way and was interesting.

Discussion Questions:

1. What do you think that Coleridge was trying to say about exploring your sexuality?
2. Do you think that Christabel’s intentions in her bedroom were intentional?
3. Do you think that Coleridge displays the view of psychology in a realistic manner?
4. Did Coleridge display how women are powerless to men? Or that men are weak in compared to women?

Mary Wollstonecraft was a writer who was an advocate for women and wrote one of the first feminist works. When the world was telling women they were not important, Mary Wollstonecraft wanted women to know that they are more than a wife to a man.  In 1792, A Vindication of the Rights of Woman was released. Chapter six of this book focuses on the education of women and how it affects them in many aspects later in life. Mary Wollstonecraft argued that from the start, education for a woman is very different compared to a man. This is because eighteenth century society made women feel like they had to be nothing but a pretty face. Throughout history we are supposed to believe that a man is the one with the brains, and the woman is just the beauty behind the man, almost like property. Throughout this reading we explore the differences in women’s education, how both sexes are viewed differently in society, how the individual looks at one self, and the connection to Letters written in Sweden, Norway, and Denmark.

After reading both of Mary Wollstonecraft works I learned that she was strong advocate for women’s rights and was a great model for breaking the norm. In Letters written in Sweden, Norway, and Denmark we get a look into her journal and the great travels she encountered in each country. When first reading into the book it felt like she was just talking about what she saw in her travels, but I had to really look into it with a fine-tooth comb. I realized her writing actually does have a lot of depth, and she discusses important issues we face in society.

There was a very interesting quote in Letter 3, Wollstonecraft said: “Still the men stand up for the dignity of man by oppressing the women.” I thought this was very challenging to think that a man will stand up for a man while putting down a woman. This shows how unequal society viewed the genders. I think this is also clear in Vindication of the Rights of Woman, men often only look for beauty in women. Men are taught that in society a woman is nothing more but his property or a “note-able housewife” (this is a term Mary Wollstonecraft used). Women are only interested in a man who is a gentleman, again not interested in knowledge. Wollstonecraft said: “..a gentleman-like man seldom fails to please them, and their thirsty ears eagerly drink the insinuation nothings of politeness..” Women are only concerned with being charmed, women are never taught that they should look at men more critically or as Wollstonecraft said: “were women more rationally educated, could they take a more comprehensive view of things they would be contented to love but once in their lives; and after marriage calmly let passion subside into friendship…”. She stresses it is important for women to look beyond the charmer, and to look at the mind that man possess.

In Letter 19, she said: “Still harping on the same subject, you will exclaim—How can I avoid it, when most of the struggles of an eventful life have been occasioned by the oppressed state of my sex?  We reason deeply when we feel forcibly.” I believe this is the moment she really expresses that society puts women in a box, they are meant to feel, act, and be a certain way. She further goes into this in A Vindication of the Rights of Woman. As stated, “Education thus only supplies the man of genius with knowledge to give variety and contrast to his associations, but there is an habitual association of ideas, that grows with our growth…” These two direct quotes showed us how society and education will not expose women to new ideas. Ideas are so important to the mind, it can make you explore yourself and the world. When you have one simple idea it can make your mind do such powerful things. For some reason women were not exposed to such, they were kept like children, unknown of the whole world around them. Could it be that society and the man was to afraid to find out what the women’s mind can do?  Were they afraid women would become superior? Women are persistent, strong minded, smart, and it seems to me the world was not ready for the great things a women’s mind can do. Only men were able to explore and learn new and enticing ideas.

It was interesting to read that many of the people Mary Wollstonecraft encountered were more interested in showing of their money rather than their knowledge, she also stated that education was not really paid attention to. I found this to be very alarming; your charm, money, wit can only take you so far in this world. It is important that all children are taught the appropriate education from a very early age. It is extremely important that women get the same education and respect that man get. I do feel like in present times we are much more equal than Mary Wollstonecraft times. But let’s be real, it is not one hundred percent. Society needs to keep moving forward and to see how important a women’s mind is to this world.

Questions:

1. In today’s society are women still treated differently than men in an education standpoint? Why or why not?
2. Does society still look at women as a “child-like” figure?
3. What was the purpose of Mary Wollstonecraft letters?