The Dialogue between Literature and History in Yeats’ Poetry — A Case Study of “Easter, 1916”

doi:10.12002/j.bisu.2016.062

Abstract

Abstract: Yeats’ realistic poetry is often imprinted with the mark of its era. By means of the poetic language, Yeats expressed his profound reflection on the historic events of the time. In so doing, a dialogue has comes into existence between literature and history. This paper attempts to consider in detail how the dialogue between literature and history operates in Yeats’ realistic poem “Easter, 1916,” as a case study, under the scrutiny of the new historicist approach. Through the textual analysis of this poetic work, this paper discusses the dialogic relationship of the poem and history by elaborating on how this poetic work becomes historicized and how this historic event becomes textualized. Within this dialogue, the reciprocal relation of this poem and the contemporary society is brought under further examination. This paper argues that this poem harbors subversive force which can be articulated by the poetic text in this dialogue between literature and history. However, this subversive force will be eventually contained by the British power structure that has pervaded and dominated the Irish society. By the uprising and revolution of the Irish people, Ireland would attain to the goal of political de-Anglicization by becoming a sovereign state and with the advent of this political independence Irish literature could also achieve an independent status. However, this paper concludes that Yeats has realized the suppressed beauty of this independence because Irish literature would still have to be composed in the English language which, however, remains to be the product of the British power structure.

Keywords: Irish literature; history; dialogue; power; containment; textuality

摘要： 叶芝在其现实主义诗作中烙上了时代的印记，诗人用诗的形式表达了对于历史事件的深刻思考，从而使文学和历史在诗作中形成了一种对话。本文在新历史主义理论框架下以《1916年复活节》一诗为例剖析叶芝诗歌中所体现出来的文学与历史的对话。通过对诗歌文本的分析，笔者指出，一方面，该作品作为诗歌的文本具有历史性；另一方面，被文本化的历史也具有文本性，二者之间形成对话。同时作为对话一方的文学文本内部蕴含颠覆性元素，鼓舞爱尔兰民众反抗英国殖民统治，试图推翻现有的权力结构，取得民族独立，并让爱尔兰文学从英国文学中脱离出来。但是，这种颠覆性元素终将被含纳，因为叶芝认识到，独立后的爱尔兰文学不得不继续依靠英语进行创作，依然存在于英国的权力结构之下，并未真正独立，因而是一种“可怕的美”。

关键词: 爱尔兰文学, 历史, 对话, 权力, 含纳, 文本性

CLC Number:

I106.2

ZHAI Kang. The Dialogue between Literature and History in Yeats’ Poetry — A Case Study of “Easter, 1916”[J]. Journal of Beijing International Studies University, 2016, 38(5): 101-110.

翟　康. 叶芝诗歌中文学与历史的对话——以《1916年复活节》为例[J]. 北京第二外国语学院学报, 2016, 38(5): 101-110.

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