Craigory - 6th
Nerdy Final Blog Post
INTRODUCTION
There exists some striking parallels between many old pieces of literature and the postmodern world we live in today; This is especially apparent in the Romantic Era poem-thats-way-longer-than-an-actual-poem poem, “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” by Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Although what seems like a careful tale about the dangers of disrespecting nature and the pension that comes with redemption, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner holds importance in our current age with its metafiction and intercontextualization.
The poem is a good read. Check it out yourself -
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/43997/the-rime-of-the-ancient-mariner-text-of-1834
POSTMODERN ELEMENT #1 - Metafiction
CONTEXT
Metafiction refers to the postmodern trait of a conscious story, a story that knows its a story, very similar to the all too popular fourth wall breaks. Coleridge uses this very effectively from the start and introduction to the meat of the poem.
L2 ANALYSIS
From the beginning of the story, it's very clear that the story is of the Mariner’s story, his RIME one could say (Yk. Like, the title of the story. I’m my own audience). This is clear when pulled by the Mariner, “The Wedding-Guest stood still,/And listens like a three years’ child:/The Mariner hath his will.”. The wedding guest is unable to escape the supernatural powers the Mariner has through his probably beautiful glittering eye. This powerful introduction flips the entire narrative lens, as it switches us from being the reader of the story into the wedding guest themselves; This allows the reader to be more immersed in the story as if they were a major character involved in the plot.
POSTMODERN COMPARISON
This flipped narrative is used very similarly in the Naomi Shihab Nye poem, “Making a Fist”. The poem exemplifies metafiction perfectly as the poet reflects upon her previous childhood experience with her mom; This is very clear in the line “Years later I smile to think of that journey,”, which shows her reflecting on her past and appreciating what her mother has done through her short but powerful words of advice. The effect her use of metafiction has is in the story becoming self aware, as she made her own meaning through the phrase and almost invites the reader to come to their own conclusions; Nye could’ve just explained at the end what the advice meant but, what fun would that be?
Further comments and fist related humor about “Making a Fist” can be found by clicking this link! - https://nerdypublisher.wixsite.com/website/post/read-between-the-lines?commentId=902c8cba-f9b4-42b7-acae-03dd4eeed669
MY TAKE
My freshman year I remember learning about the heroes cycle and the general timeline of how a story should be structured. After years of reading the same literature that followed this strict and, maybe at one point, effective form to structure their stories. Metafiction takes this idea and spins it on its head in an unconventional way but allows authors to master this gimmick and bend it to its will. If Nye’s poem followed this standard format, who’s to say the effect and message of the tale would still be still; The charm and power that comes through this read is because of its structure as it makes the story seem so real and relatable, you can’t help but feel connected to its message. This is similar in “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner”, as the charm comes from the reader’s immersion in the plot which wouldn’t have been possible without the use of metafiction. Both stories using metafiction almost makes them alive, constantly changing with the times, changing meaning along with it. There’s a reason DC English IV students still analyze and find new meaning in these pieces of literature.
POSTMODERN ELEMENT #2 - Intercontextualization
CONTEXT
Intercontextualization in a postmodern sense refers to involving other stories in your story in various ways such as references or parodies. In “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner”, there's many themes and references to redemption, sin and savour, and broader christian symbolism.
L2 ANALYSIS
A clear moment of this is when the Mariner’s crew begins to turn on him after he shoots and kills the Albatross. As a punishment for his “fly” crime, “Instead of the cross, the Albatross/A bout [his] neck was hung.”, serving as a symbol of his guilt and sinful deeds. This, and many other allusions to christian symbolism, not only serve as mere references but also as moral challenges to traditional religious thinking. It's clear that the Mariner’s crew had punished him for killing the Albatross solely for the reason they thought the bird was a good omen, but who’s to say this flightmare had any effect on the crew’s journey. Coleridge paints the picture that the crew is valid in their actions as its previously inferred that the Albatross brought this good luck to the ship but it's never directly stated; I believe this is intentional and serves as commentary on the bible on its readings, more specifically questioning who imposes guilt and meaning or whether or not these concepts are set constants or free flowing, changing through perception.
POSTMODERN COMPARISON
Keeping with the allusions to the bible and christianity, “Why the Past 10 Years of American Life have been Uniquely Stupid” by Jonathan Haidt shares a vast amount of similarities to its Romantic Era counterpart. Haidt’s essay opens with a comparison of current American Politics as the story of The Tower of Babel from the Bible’s Book of Genesis. This essay’s structure also follows with the flow of the previously mentioned christian allusion, with subheadings describing his ideas and Points; He describes the early internet as, “The Rise of the Modern Tower”, and the information provided about the effect of social media on American politics as when, “Things Fall Apart”. Through his intercontextualization, we are able to draw parallels and maybe even conclusions concerning where our society may be headed.
This wonderful analysis and more can be found in my Comment #1 on the blog website Nerdy Digital Publishing. Here's a link! - https://nerdypublisher.wixsite.com/website/post/source-1?commentId=a1b19028-2899-4946-addc-bd67b2299468
MY TAKE
As a person who grew up around strict Utah Mormons and moved down to Texas around a much more relaxed southern Christian culture, I can appreciate the biblical allusions and the humor that is used with them. Both stories, despite the age gap between their creations, are able to successfully pull off their uses of intercontextualization, through the lens of romantic era literature or postmodern era literature.
TO CONCLUDE…
Through the use of a postmodern perspective, Coleridge’s “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” can continued to be appreciated, reanalyzed, and enjoyed no matter the length of time between its creation and this day and age. Even Romantic era literature can contain modern traits like metafiction and intercontextualization, and, as previously mentioned, these stories testing the will of time show how their themes and messages are breathing entities, forever being shaped and changed and eroded through the sands of time flowing down an infinite hourglass, as we watch from the outside, fogging the glass and drawing silly faces among other doodles.
(The doodles are a metaphor for coming up with our own meanings. Btw.)
