Unity, Ecstasy, Communion: The Tragic Perspective of W.B. Yeats Page: 19
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19
grand themes as heroism and sacrifice, Yeats lingers too long
in describing the landscapes of art. While Oisin rejects
lotos-eating, his creator seems to enjoy its elaboration:
For neither Death nor Change comes near us,
And all listless hours fear us,
And we fear no dawning morrow,
Nor the grey wandering osprey Sorrow.^
Yeats expressed his anguish over this problem in a third
letter to Katharine fynan, written just after completion of
Oisin;
I have been I fear somewhat inarticulate! I had
indeed something I had to say. Don't know that I
have said it. All seems confused, incoherent,
inarticulate. Yet this.I know, I am no idle
"15
poetaster. ^
By the end of 1888, then, Yeats knew where he wanted to
go with his art and what themes it should contain. But he
still could not control its expression, fwo years of work
on the kind of cultural myth encouraged by O'Leary had not
brought the prophetic goal of 1886 any closer. Universal
themes could hardly be focused in diffuse imagery. Therefore,
learning to control his image-making process became crucial
for Yeats. With what symbols and images could he convey
eternal ideas and evoke an answering song in the heart of a
reader? She right formula, he felt, could give him the power
to unify a people.
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Brooks, John C. Unity, Ecstasy, Communion: The Tragic Perspective of W.B. Yeats, dissertation, May 1988; Denton, Texas. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc331259/m1/24/: accessed April 19, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; .