Yeats, Whitman, and the Allure of Authoritarian Song
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This article examines the complex ideological transition of William Butler Yeats, particularly his shift from embracing Walt Whitman’s democratic poetics to expressing sympathies toward authoritarian governance in later years. Initially inspired by Whitman’s belief in the poet as a democratic voice celebrating collective identity, Yeats eventually came to distrust mass democracy, viewing it as inherently chaotic and culturally degrading. Through close readings of key texts, historical contexts such as Irish independence, and critical scholarship, this study reveals how Yeats’s elitist aesthetics and esoteric philosophies contributed to his political evolution. Yeats’s journey illustrates a broader modernist tension between artistic integrity and populist influence, reflecting a crucial debate over the role of poetry within democracy and authoritarianism.
Abstract
This article examines the complex ideological transition of William Butler Yeats, particularly his shift from embracing Walt Whitman’s democratic poetics to expressing sympathies toward authoritarian governance in later years. Initially inspired by Whitman’s belief in the poet as a democratic voice celebrating collective identity, Yeats eventually came to distrust mass democracy, viewing it as inherently chaotic and culturally degrading. Through close readings of key texts, historical contexts such as Irish independence, and critical scholarship, this study reveals how Yeats’s elitist aesthetics and esoteric philosophies contributed to his political evolution. Yeats’s journey illustrates a broader modernist tension between artistic integrity and populist influence, reflecting a crucial debate over the role of poetry within democracy and authoritarianism.