One summer day in 1797, the poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge fell into an opium-induced sleep. By the time he awoke three hours later, he had dreamed an entire 300-line poem, which he immediately began to transcribe. Well before he finished, however, a knock on the door interrupted him. Instead of ignoring the distraction, he greeted the visitor and talked for an hour. When he returned to the task of writing down his inspired vision, it had faded. Try as he might to recover it, in the end he produced only 54 lines. Many critics have said that "Kubla Khan", the fragments that survived, is among his best work. Yet how much greater it might have been had he captured the rest.
This anecdote on Coleridge is not leading up to a discussion of "Kubla Khan" (relax!). It is not an intro to thoughts on dreams and memory. Nor am I interested in the ways opium affects the mind and body (well ... just a little interested). However, whether this tale on Coleridge's creation of his masterpiece is fact or myth, I know that I would not have answered that door. Not a chance. If it happened in modern society I would not have answered the phone. Perhaps others are more drawn by the social magnet. Ok. I am fairly anti-social in general. But why does everyone else in the world feel the need to be connected to someone else at all times?
Online chat rooms, cell phones, text messaging, whatever. I don't even want to talk about the iPhone (rip off). I realize it is much more likely that the chicks in line at the bagel shop are chatting away on their cell phones about the release of Paris Hilton ('ohmigod did you see her bag? Sooo hot! Gotta have one!') than English poetry of the 18th Century. But wouldn't it be interesting if it were the other way around ('The shadow of the dome of pleasure floated midway on the waves!')? Sorry ... I digress.
I'm not trying to beat a dead horse here. Everyone claims to hate cell phones and ipods and all those gadgets I don't have but everyone seems the be using them. Makes no sense. These same people complain about the price of gas while taking their Escalades to the Hamptons for the weekend. Bah.
Thinking about Coleridge reminds me of a time when it was not only normal but expected that alone time was productive, creative and relaxing. You were not aberrant if you eschewed human contact for hours or days at a time. There was much to do at home, like think and dream and ingest opium. I don't imagine I have a "Kubla Kahn" in me. And perhaps I could be a bit more social. So be it. But please, no more messages on my machine "If you're there, pick up ..."
This anecdote on Coleridge is not leading up to a discussion of "Kubla Khan" (relax!). It is not an intro to thoughts on dreams and memory. Nor am I interested in the ways opium affects the mind and body (well ... just a little interested). However, whether this tale on Coleridge's creation of his masterpiece is fact or myth, I know that I would not have answered that door. Not a chance. If it happened in modern society I would not have answered the phone. Perhaps others are more drawn by the social magnet. Ok. I am fairly anti-social in general. But why does everyone else in the world feel the need to be connected to someone else at all times?
Online chat rooms, cell phones, text messaging, whatever. I don't even want to talk about the iPhone (rip off). I realize it is much more likely that the chicks in line at the bagel shop are chatting away on their cell phones about the release of Paris Hilton ('ohmigod did you see her bag? Sooo hot! Gotta have one!') than English poetry of the 18th Century. But wouldn't it be interesting if it were the other way around ('The shadow of the dome of pleasure floated midway on the waves!')? Sorry ... I digress.
I'm not trying to beat a dead horse here. Everyone claims to hate cell phones and ipods and all those gadgets I don't have but everyone seems the be using them. Makes no sense. These same people complain about the price of gas while taking their Escalades to the Hamptons for the weekend. Bah.
Thinking about Coleridge reminds me of a time when it was not only normal but expected that alone time was productive, creative and relaxing. You were not aberrant if you eschewed human contact for hours or days at a time. There was much to do at home, like think and dream and ingest opium. I don't imagine I have a "Kubla Kahn" in me. And perhaps I could be a bit more social. So be it. But please, no more messages on my machine "If you're there, pick up ..."
6 comments:
And in modern society, the equivilent to the Coleridge story would be answering the phone and missing the end of "Shaq's Big Challenge". Unfortunately, I'm speaking from experience.
Ohmigod ... I can't believe you watched that! Perhaps you need to disconnect a bit, eh? I think I'd rather read Milton again than watch a bunch of overweight kids doing push-ups.
Give me a break...I only get 3 channels!
Ok. But you seem to lament missing the end of the program. I'm guessing it went something like this:
Fat kids do exercises and pretend to feel good afterward. Shaq gives a pep talk. Stay tuned ...
I'd choose watching a bunch of overweight kids doing push-ups ANY DAY over re-reading Milton.
You may have a point there ...
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