symbolism in the poetry of w b yeats

symbolism in the poetry of w. b. yeats

Presented by Susmitha Ann Varghese Dept. of English Mar Thoma College Tiruvalla

W. B. YEATS --- SYMBOLISM. *regarded as one of the most important representative symbolists of the twentieth century *mainly influenced by the French symbolist movement of the 19 th century *learned that “Anima Mundi”, a reservoir of all that has touched mankind may be evoked by symbols

W. B. YEATS --- SYMBOLISM *became acquainted with the doctrine of correspondences, doctrine of signatures, and the doctrine of magical in connotations and symbols which have power over spiritual and material reality *learned that all material things correspond to concepts in the world of spirit *through the use of material objects as symbols one may summon disembodied powers *Jungian philosophy—great symbols well up the depth of the “collective unconscious”, the racial memory

W. B. YEATS --- SYMBOLISM *“ A symbol is indeed the possible expression of some visible presence…”—Yeats *Dedicating the symbolist movement in literature to Yeats Arthur Symonds called his Irish friend, “the chief representative of that movement in our country”. *based his symbolism on the poetry of Blake, Shelley, Rossetti and above all, on the occult

W. B. YEATS --- SYMBOLISM *had a deep fascination with mysticism and the occult *poetry infused with the other worldly, the spiritual and the unknown *mysticism features prominently in the discussion of the reincarnation of the soul *symbols drawn from obscure sources– magic , occultism, alchemy, astrology, myth and folklore

W. B. YEATS --- SYMBOLISM *Byzantium--symbol of “artifice of eternity” *his philosophical model of the conical gyre explains the journey of the soul, the passage of time and the guiding hand of fate *Swan--an important bird symbol— symbolizes unaging spirit of youth or immortality *bird cry -- denotes the urge of desire, physical and spiritual

W. B. YEATS --- SYMBOLISM *sun and moon—denote fundamental contraries *sword--symbol of life, war, love and sex– also symbolize the soul or the vital principle unaffected by times *tattered covering over the sword– emblematic of old and decayed body which could still guard the soul

W. B. YEATS --- SYMBOLISM *Tower– poets vision of the dark and dismal future of humanity *The great beast– horrific , violent animal – to embody difficult , abstract subjects *Symbolism– a rebellion against the world of matter, the spatio-temporal world in which we live