Temptations and the Doctrine of the Fall in Christabel. The “good-spell” according to S.T. Coleridge

Coleridge’s religious views changed all through his lonesome life. Despite his reconversion to Anglicanism after an active membership amongst the Unitarians and the Socinians, he was constantly troubled by the thought of the inexplicable entrance of evil in one’s existence and by a piercing sense of guilt for his sins. He sought to find God’s forgiveness and feel His love. Coleridge imbued with such feelings the title characters of some of his works, for instance The Rime of the Ancyent Marinere and Christabel. In both cases no chance is given them to repent of their transgressions. They are denied God’s grace, and are led to the point of no return. Christabel is the story of innocence and purity violated by sin. In a setting of ambiguity, if not disorder, Geraldine twists Christabel’s simplicity and inexperience, offering false protection. Such apparent truths beguile Christabel and introduce her to carnality. Geraldine’s spell brings spiritual destruction and never-ending misery on Christabel and her father, Sir Leoline. Christabel mirrors Coleridge’s views on the doctrine of the Fall. The story itself, the Bible and the author’s consideration of John Milton’s Paradise Lost as a literary mediator are merely a pretext for him to express his theological concerns and spiritual anxieties while giving vent to his heavy-laden vocation as a poet.