The Way To Xanadu
Journey to a Legendary Realm
by Caroline Alexander
Knopf, 1980
Comments: Kubla Kahn by Samuel Taylor Coleridge is one of the best known poems of all time. By the author's own admission the verses were composed during an opium-induced reverie, but he revealed little about what may have been the worldly influences on his romantic vision. However, Coleridge was known to have been an enthusiastic reader of the popular travelogues of his era and scholars have speculated that certain of these were the source of his inspiration.
In this book, The Way To Xanadu, Caroline Alexander uses that scholarship as a background for her own travelogue, researching the most likely places from literature to have influenced Coleridge's poem, and then traveling to each to build historical context for various elements of the verses. It's a fascinating concept, and one that leads to exotic locations such as Mongolia, China, and Ethiopia, as well as not-so-exotic Northern Florida. The author provides rich descriptions of her own experiences at each locale, comparing those with references that Coleridge would have known about. The book somewhat has the feel of a literary mystery, searching for clues in the real world for the source of a vision about an imagined one. The exciting part is that so many clues are actually found. In some cases the historical references match with the poem so precisely -- almost verbatim -- that the connection is obvious. In others the connections require a bit more imagination, but being engagingly plausible nonetheless. Finally, the author concludes her investigation by exploring the places where Coleridge lived and worked, bringing details of his personal life story into the mix of potential inspiration.
Basically this a travel book, with fascinating accounts of unusual places that likely have some relationship to a revered poem. But even if you have little interest in poetry, the book provides an enjoyable set of stories for intrepid travelers.
Copy Notes: Hardback, first American edition
For extra credit: the online SpokenVerse audio recording of Kubla Kahn is well worth the three-minutes.
Journey to a Legendary Realm
by Caroline Alexander
Knopf, 1980
Comments: Kubla Kahn by Samuel Taylor Coleridge is one of the best known poems of all time. By the author's own admission the verses were composed during an opium-induced reverie, but he revealed little about what may have been the worldly influences on his romantic vision. However, Coleridge was known to have been an enthusiastic reader of the popular travelogues of his era and scholars have speculated that certain of these were the source of his inspiration.
In this book, The Way To Xanadu, Caroline Alexander uses that scholarship as a background for her own travelogue, researching the most likely places from literature to have influenced Coleridge's poem, and then traveling to each to build historical context for various elements of the verses. It's a fascinating concept, and one that leads to exotic locations such as Mongolia, China, and Ethiopia, as well as not-so-exotic Northern Florida. The author provides rich descriptions of her own experiences at each locale, comparing those with references that Coleridge would have known about. The book somewhat has the feel of a literary mystery, searching for clues in the real world for the source of a vision about an imagined one. The exciting part is that so many clues are actually found. In some cases the historical references match with the poem so precisely -- almost verbatim -- that the connection is obvious. In others the connections require a bit more imagination, but being engagingly plausible nonetheless. Finally, the author concludes her investigation by exploring the places where Coleridge lived and worked, bringing details of his personal life story into the mix of potential inspiration.
Basically this a travel book, with fascinating accounts of unusual places that likely have some relationship to a revered poem. But even if you have little interest in poetry, the book provides an enjoyable set of stories for intrepid travelers.
Copy Notes: Hardback, first American edition
For extra credit: the online SpokenVerse audio recording of Kubla Kahn is well worth the three-minutes.
