Abstract: W.B.Yeats has certainly not suffered lack of critical attention, but the Yeats-Nietzsche connection has not been dealt with fully. Yeats’s later work can, more accurately be read and understood in the light of Nietzsche’s role in the development of Yeats’s thought. Yeats’s connection with Nietzsche is not simply a matter of literary influence; both of them are united by a common philosophic temperament and way of understanding the world. This paper is an attempt to study the influence that Nietzsche had upon Yeats, and what made it possible: the underlying kinship of a similar disposition. Key Words: Disposition, Existence, Imagination, Influence, Kinship, Philosophy, Tragedy. INTRODUCTION: The question of influence among writers …show more content…
Nietzsche (1844-1900). Yeats probably first came into contact with Nietzsche's writings in 1902, either in Thomas Common's translated anthology Nietzsche as Critic, Philosopher, Poet and Prophet (1901) or in a copy of Thus Spake Zarathustra (one of the few works of Nietzsche to have been translated in whole at the time) given to him by John Quinn. Doubtless, however, Yeats was familiar with some of Nietzsche's major concepts before this date, even if on a less authoritative basis than direct reading would have provided. There are passages from his 1897 essay that might attest to his earlier familiarity. The Nietzschean vogue (or "Neo-Nietzschean clatter", in Pound's words) that existed in literary circles in England-during the late 1800's and early 1900's has been explored thoroughly and comprehensively by David S. Thatcher and Yeats must have absorbed something of Nietzsche's thought simply by virtue of having been part of this particular milieu. A letter of May 15, 1903 credits John Quinn with having first introduced Yeats to Nietzsche's work and suggests clearly that Yeats was at this time familiar specifically with The Birth of …show more content…
• •• The nature is conscious of the most extreme degree of deception, and is wrought to a frenzy of desire for truth of self. If Phase 9 had the greatest possible "belief in its own desire", there is now the greatest possible belief in all values created by personality. It is therefore before all else the phase of the hero, of the man who overcomes himself, and so no longer needs, like Phase 10, the submission of others, or, like Phai8 11,
William Butler Yeats Irish identity shaped his poetry by focusing on subjects that are related to Ireland and its people. Yeats is considered as not only the most important Irish poet, but also as one of the most important English language poets, of the 20th century. He was a very important person in the Irish Cultural Revival, his later poems made a significant influence to Modernism, and he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1923. William Butler Yeats poems are a reflection of his life, as they tell love and patriotism for Ireland.
While both Keats and Longfellow often reflect on their own unfulfilled dreams and impending deaths, the poems however contrast on their own dispositions towards death and the future. Here, Keats expresses a fear of not having enough time to accomplish all that he believes he is capable of doing, but as he recognizes the enormity of the world and his own limitations of life, he realizes that his own mortal goals are meaningless in the long run of things. On the other hand, Longfellow speaks of a regret towards his inaction for allowing time to slip away from him in his past and is at a crossroads for the ominous future that looms ahead of him. Through the use of light and dark imagery, and personification, Keats and Longfellow similarly yet also differently, reflect on their own ideas for death and the futures that lay ahead of them.
William Butler Yeats is one of the most esteemed poets in 20th century literature and is well known for his Irish poetry. While Yeats was born in Ireland, he spent most of his adolescent years in London with his family. It wasn’t until he was a teenager that he later moved back to Ireland. He attended the Metropolitan School of Art in Dublin and joined the Theosophical Society soon after moving back. He was surrounded by Irish influences most of his life, but it was his commitment to those influences and his heritage that truly affected his poetry. William Butler Yeats’s poetry exemplifies how an author’s Irish identity can help create and influence his work.
Yeats works drew heavily on Irish mythology and history, he never fully embraced his Protestant past nor joined the majority or Ireland Roman Catholics but he devoted much of his life to the study in myriad other subjects. The Irish writer’s James O’ Grady and Sir William Ferguson were the most influential. Through his writing Yeats found his voice to speak up against the harsh nationalist policies of the time, his early dramatic works conveyed his respect for Irish legend and fascination with occult. Yeats mother was the first introduce him and his sisters to the Irish folktales he grew to love so much but little did you know that his brother jack and father was also an accomplished artist and they both helped William in his writing and it's the reason he found his own interest in the wonderful arts as he called them. In 1894 Yeats met friend and patron Lady Augusta Gregory and thus began their involvement with The Irish Literary Theatre which was founded in 1899 in Dublin. Along with literature, he also loved the theater and wrote several plays. He collaborated with the likes of Lady Gregory, Edward Martyn and George Moore to establish the Irish Literary Theatre for the purpose of performing Irish and Celtic plays. As a dramatist, his successful works included ‘The Countess Cathleen’ (1892), ‘The Land of Heart’s Desire’ (1894) and ‘The King’s Threshold’
Conflict is the basis of all human interaction and hence is an integral part of human life. Through ambiguous yet comprehensive treatment of conflict W. B. Yeats has ensured that his works stand the test of time and hence have remained ‘classics’ today. Through my critical study I have recognised that Yeats’ poems Easter 1916 and The Second Coming are no exception. Yeats’ poetic form, language and use of poetic techniques; such as juxtaposition, allusion, and extended metaphors, alert audiences to both the inner and physical conflict that are the foundations of both poems. It is through this treatment of conflict that supplies audiences with the ability to individualise the reading and hence engage a broad range of
What light does this comment of Yeats’ shed on his poetry? Feel free in your answer to concentrate on poetic devices other than rhythm if you prefer.
As years pass further away from childish thoughts, adults are allowed to reflect on their youth, while the youth dutifully study the already matured. This is exemplified in the writings of E. B. White and W. B. Yeats, and the insight gained upon reading them. In Yeats’s essay, “Reveries over Childhood and Youth”, he recounts of how his grandfather was a feared man deserving of admiration. “Once More to the Lake” is a recollection of White’s experience and emotions pertaining to his childhood summers spent at the lake. In both these essays, Yeats and White show that with age comes wisdom and respect, but it does not inherently entail contentment or satisfaction.
Yeats was a confessional poet - that is to say, that he wrote his poetry directly from his own experiences. He was an idealist, with a purpose. This was to create Art for his own people - the Irish. But in so doing, he experienced considerable frustration and disillusionment. The tension between this ideal, and the reality is the basis of much of his writing. One central theme of his earlier poetry is the contrast
John Keats was a well established English poet in the early 19th century. His work is greatly influenced by his family, studies, political views, and life experiences. Keats was born October 31st, 1795 in a stable to his devoted parents, Thomas and Frances Keats (15). Before Keats’s twentieth birthday he would experience many hardships from the passing of both of his parents as well as his grandmother. Thomas Keats died in 1804 after an accident occurred while riding his horse, leaving John Keats as the ‘man’ of the house at the young age of nine. Less than five years passed before Frances Keats fell ill and passed after contracting tuberculosis. At a young age Keats experienced great loss and suffering that would linger with him for the entirety
Yeats' poem "The Second Coming," written in 1919 and published in 1921 in his collection of poems Michael Robartes and the Dancer, taps into the concept of the gyre and depicts the approach of a new world order. The gyre is one of Yeats' favorite motifs, the idea that history occurs in cycles, specifically cycles "twenty centuries" in length (Yeats, "The Second Coming" ln. 19). In this poem, Yeats predicts that the Christian era will soon give way apocalyptically to an era ruled by a godlike desert beast with the body of a lion and the head of a man (ln. 14). Critics have argued about the exact meaning of this image, but a close reading of the poem, combined with some simple genetic work, shows
In this stage thoughtful and deliberate choice replaces the instant gratification of pleasure in the first stage. In this stage man focuses of self-reflection and chooses to create ethical values by which he will live his life. Once man has reflected to the point of realizing that ‘he is involved in something more profound, he is faced with another either/or decision to stay at this stage or take a leap of faith and live a Christian life.
Mr. Yeats relates his vision, either real or imagined, concerning prophesies of the days of the Second coming. The writer uses the Holy Bible scripture text for his guide for because no one could explain this period of time without referring to the Holy Bible. He has chosen to present it in the form of a poem, somewhat like the quatrains of Nostradamus. The poem does not cover all the details of this event, but does give the beginning of the powerful messages, and a dark look at those ominous days surrounding the Second Coming of The Lord Jesus Christ. Perhaps he is trying in his own words to warn everyone about the end time days.
The twenty-four old romantic poet John Keats, “Ode on a Grecian Urn” written in the spring of 1819 was one of his last of six odes. That he ever wrote for he died of tuberculosis a year later. Although, his time as a poet was short he was an essential part of The Romantic period (1789-1832). His groundbreaking poetry created a paradigm shift in the way poetry was composed and comprehended. Indeed, the Romantic period provided a shift from reason to belief in the senses and intuition. “Keats’s poem is able to address some of the most common assumptions and valorizations in the study of Romantic poetry, such as the opposition between “organic culture” and the alienation of modernity”. (O’Rourke, 53) The irony of Keats’s Urn is he likens
William Butler Yeats was an Irish poet, a dramatist, and a prose writer - one of the greatest English-language poets of the twentieth century. (Yeats 1) His early poetry and drama acquired ideas from Irish fable and arcane study. (Eiermann 1) Yeats used the themes of nationalism, freedom from oppression, social division, and unity when writing about his country. Yeats, an Irish nationalist, used the three poems, “To Ireland in the Coming Times,” “September 1913” and “Easter 1916” which revealed an expression of his feelings about the War of Irish Independence through theme, mood and figurative language.
During the New Year people would often undertake a change in their lives by trying not to do everything they would prior to that milestone. Although this analogy is not as extreme as the ending of the enlightenment, this is what poets John Keats and William Wordsworth did to completely turn away from that period. Not only did they change their lifestyles, but these Romantic expressivists managed to erase the beliefs and religions of the enlightenment and create their own truths and orders. John Keats and William Wordsworth shows Romantic expressivism by seeking meaning through nonreligious attributes, like poetry, to define what used to be a unanimous belief by substituting their own faith with given faiths. In Wordsworth’s “Lines Composed