The Irish Literary Renaissance occurred during a period in British history marked by rising Irish nationalism and increasingly persistent calls for Irish home rule. The most central figure in this movement was William Butler Yeats. W.B. Yeats’ career spanned the breadth of the Modern period, from the decadence of the 1890s to shock and disillusionment of World War I and the rise of fascism in the 1930s. Throughout his career, Yeats’ work evolved significantly in style and subject matter. In his early poems, Yeats draws upon Irish folklore and regional references to create neo-Romantic poems. Under the influence of his relationships with Irish nationalist, Maud Gonne, and playwright, Lady Augusta Gregory, Yeats viewed art as a means of establishing a uniquely Irish cultural identity. In this lesson, you will study many authors associated with the Irish Literary Renaissance, including James Joyce, Elizabeth Bowen, and J.M. Synge. Note the references to Irish culture, the use of specialized diction, and the reliance on symbolism these authors use to establish a uniquely Irish literature.

Lesson Objectives

•    Analyze the use of symbols in literature
•    Compare literary texts
•    Examine the use of a naïve narrator in short fiction
•    Evaluate the use of third–person omniscient versus first-person point-of-view
•    Examine and analyze dialogue and dialect in regional works
•    Evaluate the dramatic conventions of tragedy
•    Evaluate and analyze the use of foreshadowing and flashback in narrative fiction
•    Understand setting and mood

Reading Assignments

1.    Read the biographical sketch for William Butler Yeats, “Sailing to Byzantium,” “The Second Coming,” and “When You Are Old,” pp. 1166-1172.
2.    Read the biographical sketch of James Joyce and “Araby,” pp. 1174-1182.
3.    Read the biographical sketch of J.M. Synge and “Riders to the Sea,” pp. 1188-1198.
4.    Read the biographical sketch of Elizabeth Bowen and “The Demon Lover,” pp. 1204-1212.

Reading Questions

Read the biographical sketch for William Butler Yeats, “Sailing to Byzantium,” “The Second Coming,” and “When You Are Old,” pp. 1166-1172.

1.    To whom does the speaker of “When You Are Old” address the poem?

2.    Create a chart using the titles shown below. Select three symbols from the poems and write an explanation of what each represents.

Title of Poem   Symbol        Explanation

3.    “Sailing to Byzantium” is considered one of Yeats’s most accomplished poems. What message does he communicate about each of the following subjects? Support your ideas with details from the poem.

•    Youth
•    Immortality
•    Old age

4.    Compare and contrast the ways in which the speakers of the three poems view change. Do they share attitudes or expectations? Support your response with specific references to the poems.

Read the biographical sketch of James Joyce and “Araby,” pp. 1174-1182.

5.    Describe the narrator’s feelings and emotions in the days and hours leading up to his trip to Araby.

6.    What does Araby symbolize, or represent, to the narrator? Support your response with details from the story.

7.    The story offers a naïve narrator—a narrator with limited knowledge, who does not fully understand what he sees or feels. Why did Joyce choose this kind of narrator for “Araby”?

8.    With a first-person narrator, the reader sees the story unfold through the eyes of one character. Consider how the boy views the story’s characters and events. Would a third-person omniscient narrator—one who sees into the minds of all characters—have presented a more engaging depiction of romantic infatuation? Explain why or why not.

Read the biographical sketch of J.M. Synge and “Riders to the Sea,” pp. 1188-1198.

9.    In his one-act play, Synge quickly establishes the main characters and the conflict they face. Reread the dialogue between Nora and Cathleen in lines 7-51. What important information do you learn about them and their difficulties in this exchange?

10.    Consider how Synge’s use of the Aran Island dialect contributes to his character portrayals. Would you have viewed Maurya and her family differently if they had spoken a more conventional form of English? Explain your answer.

11.    Riders to the Sea is a tragedy—a work that presents the downfall of a dignified character. In classical tragedies, the main character, or hero, has a tragic flaw, a quality that leads to his or her destruction. Often, other characters in the play will warn of the doom to come. To what extent does Synge’s work conform to these conventions of tragedy?

12.    What does Synge convey about the role of women in the society portrayed in Riders to the Sea? Provide examples from the play to support your response.

Read the biographical sketch of Elizabeth Bowen and “The Demon Lover,” pp. 1204-1212.

13.    Describe what happens after Mrs. Drover leaves the house.

14.    Review the description of the story’s setting in lines 1-24. What mood, or atmosphere, does this passage establish? Cite specific words or phrases to support your answer.

15.    Reread the following passages from “The Demon Lover.” In what specific ways do they hint at important events presented later in the story?

•    “Her reluctance . . . of her ways.” (lines 43-45)
•    “Only a little more . . . a more sinister troth.” (lines 95-100)
•    “She heard nothing . . . leave the house.” (lines 769-172)

16.    Reread the flashback in lines 73-100. Would the story have been as powerful if the events had been told in chronological order without the use of flashback? Explain your thoughts.

Vocabulary in Context

Complete the Vocabulary Practice on p. 1214.

Identify the antonym of each boldfaced vocabulary word.

1.    Prosaic: a) prosperous b) everyday c) imaginative
2.    Spectral: a) gloomy b) whimsical c) substantial
3.    Stint: a) weakness b) generosity c) beginning
4.    Circumscribe: a) control b) decide c) release
5.    Emanate: a) influence b) absorb c) exude

Complete the Vocabulary Strategy: The prefix circum- on p. 1214

Use context clues and your knowledge of word parts to explain the meaning of each boldfaced word. Then check your answers in a dictionary.

1.    Was Magellan the first person to circumnavigate the globe?
2.    The politician’s speech featured circumlocution rather than straightforward language.
3.    With clever maneuvering, we were able to circumvent the barrier they had erected.
4.    Instead of entering the circle, I stood on the circumference.
5.    I believe a nation’s leader should be circumspect in making decisions that affect millions of people.

Conducting Independent Research

Welcome back to the independent research segment for this unit. For this lesson, read the following sections from Unit 7 of your textbook:

Evaluating and Choosing Sources, pp. 1381-1385
Note-taking and Plagiarism, pp. 1386-1388.

Main Assignment

Write a 1-2 page dramatic scene describing the narrator’s next encounter with Morgan’s sister. The scene should include dialogue between the two characters.

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