Christabel

“Kubla Khan” by Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1816)

This poem was published alongside “Christabel,” and is one of Coleridge’s most famous works. It is known for being fueled by a vision Coleridge had while under the influence of opium. As the recollection of a vision, it is more lyrical than the long narrative of “Christabel.” The two poems share some elements, such as the moon, the supernatural, and considerations of good and evil.

“The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” by Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1834)

“The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” is usually considered Coleridge’s most famous poem. It is a more polished narrative work than “Christabel,” and is considered a defining work of the English Romantic Era. This poem created the association between the phrase “the Albatross / About my neck was hung” and carrying a heavy burden.

“Songs of Innocence and Experience” by William Blake (1789)

This illuminated manuscript gives literary context to the duality of innocence and experience found in Coleridge’s work. Animal symbolism appears in both works. Blake explores a fallen, post-Edenic world, which Coleridge also alludes to by Geraldine’s snake eyes and Bracy’s dream about the snake in “Christabel.”