Iliopoulos, Spyridon (1985) 'Out of a medium's mouth' : Yeats's art in relation to mediumship, spiritualism and psychical research. PhD thesis, University of Warwick.

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Abstract

The aim of this thesis is to show that, despite a number of
critics who either frowned upon or ignored W. B. Yeats's
psychical interests, consideration of his mediumistic encounters
between 1911 and 1916 is indispensable to the study of his
art. Indeed, Yeats's unpublished records of seances and his
other spiritualistic papers often present us with his direct
sources of inspiration and point towards an understanding
of their subsequent elaboration in some of his celebrated
works.
Chapter 1 and 2 ('Yeats's Spiritualistic Papers' and
'Yeats as a "Spiritualist" and "Psychical Researcher"')
supply general information as regards unpublished material
and describe Yeats's involvement with medium's, 'controls',
and 'spirit-visitors'.
Chapter 3 ('The Words-upon the Window-pane as an
Example') deals with Yeats's spiritualistic sources and
their dramatic elaboration in his seance-play, his only
work where he made direct use of a spiritualistic setting
and of the typical personae who frequent seance-rooms.
Although Yeats's other works are discussed-in a chronological
order, this play is given priority here, for it contains
some major, themes and motifs which pervade his art.
Chapters 4 and 5 ('Responsibilities: A First Attempt',
and 'The Wild Swans at Coole: Ghostly Presences') deal with
Yeats's attempts to introduce some major aspects of his
psychical interests into his poetry by 'invoking' his
dead and by adopting the persona of a medium in poems such
as 'To a Shade' and 'In Memory of Major Robert Gregory'.
Chapter 6 ('"Ego Dominus Tuus": Yeats, Leo Africanus,
and the Process of Self-transformation') deals separately
with 'Ego Dominus Tuus', another poem from The Wild Swans
at Coole, in relation to Yeats's encounter with his 'opposite',
the 'ghost' of Leo Africanus, and his formulation of the
concept of the 'Daemon'.
Chapters 7 and 8 ('Spiritualistic Scenarios in Michael
Robartes and the Dancer' and 'From The Tower to Last Poems')
examine Yeats's later use of theme's, motifs, and central
situations particular to spiritualism and psychical research.
Finally, the Conclusion suggests that, although Yeats's
psychical investigations did not answer the 'great question
whether the soul be immortal or not', his mediumistic
encounters provided with images, symbols, and scenarios
which enriched his art and often determined his literary
tactics.

Item Type:	Thesis (PhD)
Subjects:	B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology P Language and Literature > PR English literature
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH):	Yeats, W. B. (William Butler), 1865-1939 -- Criticism and interpretation, Yeats, W. B. (William Butler), 1865-1939 -- Spiritualistic interpretations, Psychic ability, Spiritualism in literature
Official Date:	October 1985
Dates:	Date Event October 1985 Submitted
Institution:	University of Warwick
Theses Department:	Department of English and Comparative Literary Studies
Thesis Type:	PhD
Publication Status:	Unpublished
Supervisor(s)/Advisor:	Mulryne, J. R.
Extent:	vii, 360 leaves
Language:	eng

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