Re: 250th anniversary of Samuel Taylor Coleridge in 2022
Posted by:
Sawfish (IP Logged)
Date: 9 March, 2021 02:26PM
Dale Nelson Wrote:
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> What we have of the story of “Christabelâ€
> combines medievalism and vampirism remarkably. It
> has a comic taste (the dog) right at the beginning
> that helps the reader settle in — soon the
> witchery begins.
>
> I should have referred to “October of next
> year†rather than “next October†— sorry!
Well, I just read it for the first time and am unsure what to make of the narrative, in specific terms.
Now this uncertainty is *good*, in my opinion: it's the central attraction of the film "Picnic at Hanging Rock", in my opinion. So this stuff, if well done (ad this is), is a sort of mood-setting magic.
I'd like to solicit your help with this one. I'll convey what I *thought* was happening...
The knight's daughter, Christobel, a young virgin, met what appeared to be another maiden (Geraldine) in distress in the woods and takes her home.
However, there are indications that the dog doesn't like this visitor, and if this was a predictable narrative, we'd soon see that Geraldine is a foul, stinking vampire!
But it's not that clear...
Now the two women disrobe (at Geraldine's behest) and apparently sleep, although these are disturbing dreams.
Too, there is repeated mention of Chrisobel's mother who died in childbirth.
Now the next morning Christobel shows Geraldine to her father, the knight, and it turns out that Geraldine is the daughter of a former close friend of the knight, but they are estranged for no good reason.
...or so she says.
At some point Christobel looks at Geraldine and recalls that from her dream, she met the stare of a serpent crushing a bird (symbolically possibly the bird is Christobel and the snake is...???) and she sees, momentarily, the same look in Geraldine's eyes.
Notwithstanding, the knight is overjoyed, wants to return Geraldine to her father and also to patch up old squabbles. He sends her back with his minstrel. I'm unsure how this turns out.
Christobel expresses her fears to her dad, but he pooh-poohs this in the presence of Geraldine.
I am not certain how all this turned out. I read it only once and fairly quickly.
What is happening here, Dale?
--Sawfish
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"The food at the new restaurant is awful, but at least the portions are large."
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