On The Paradoxical Art Of William Butler Yeats

This thesis is a tentative analysis of an important technique used in Yeats’spoems: paradox. Paradox is a statement that seems to say something opposite tocommon sense or truth, but which may contain truth. Paradox posits right at the coreof Yeats’s art, and it makes Yeats’s life and poetry show enchanting talents. While,the art of paradox is vaguely felt and it is implicitly touched upon by several critics.In this essay, the paradoxical art in Yeats’s texts will be employed as a main clue inhandling the study. The contradictory lying in Yeats’s life experience and emotionalexperience, as well as the paradox of his cultural identity will reveal the relationbetween Yeats’s life and the paradoxical art. To thoroughly enter Yeats’s world is tofully appreciate his paradoxical art in his poems.The thesis will analyze Yeats’s poems in detail to demonstrate the glamour ofhis paradoxical art from three aspects. Firstly, this essay discusses Yeats’s theparadox of Yeats’s cultural identity which takes root in his artistic world. In thecharmed landscapes of Irish myth, Yeats finds a way to eliminate the paradox of hisculture identity. Through the transition from romantically individual expression tocare for public events, as well as the integration of them, Yeats’s national emotionfor Ireland has been clearly presented. Then, this essay explains “sublimity” existingin everyday symbols by the virtue of endowing them with permanence and inputtingthem a great soul. This paradoxical situation is the same to mankind. Mortal humancan gain sublimity when they pierce the boundary of living and death, for deathmeans giving up the mortal, and thus gaining a “better rebirth”. Finally, this essaydisplays how Yeats sees the course of history from his paradoxical thinking. Historyis a series of cycles, repeating itself with eternal return. When it comes to end, a freshstart appears. In this way, his paradoxical thinking of human history, as well as hisconcern on humanity, has been presented clearly.After the analysis of paradoxical art in his poems, a conclusion will be drawn: it is the art of paradox that can present the glamour of Yeats’s poetry and reveal thetheme through his writing career: the author’s long term nostalgia for old Ireland, aswell as his worry about living situation of modern people. It echoes his dream ofgoing back to the “Ultimate World” or the “One” in which human being can find theperfect living style.