Summary
Autobiographies unfolds through six vivid essays chronicling Yeats’s journey from the days of his youth to the momentous year of 1923 when he was honored with the Nobel Prize for Literature.
Chapter One: ‘‘Reveries over Childhood and Youth’’
The opening essay of Yeats’s Autobiographies delves into the early decades of his life, starting with tender reminiscences of his maternal grandfather, William Pollexfen, and leading up to the celebrated release of Yeats’s initial poetry collection in 1889, The Wanderings of Oisin and Other Poems.
Yeats paints a picture of a desolate childhood, shadowed by a nebulous gloom he could never quite pinpoint. He conjectures, ‘‘my miseries were not made by others but were a part of my own mind.’’ Yet, with time, a brighter happiness gradually emerged.
Yeats recounts the profound moment he first heard his inner voice—a voice he later identified as his conscience. This guiding presence surfaced ‘‘at moments of crisis’’ throughout his adulthood. His childhood was also speckled with mystical episodes, such as encounters with ‘‘faeries’’ and sightings of a ‘‘supernatural bird.’’
Upon relocating to London’s North End, Yeats found himself embroiled in numerous clashes with peers who taunted him for his Irish heritage. Rarely victorious in these skirmishes, he grappled with the disappointment of not matching his grandfather Pollexfen’s courage. Eventually, the family settled in Bedford Park, a haven for art enthusiasts.
The first whispers of poetry entered Yeats’s life through the rhymes of a stableboy. By the age of eight or nine, his father had begun the tradition of reading poetry to him, a ritual that continued to enrich Yeats’s youth. Although not an academic prodigy or athletic, Yeats was captivated by the great outdoors, avidly collecting insects and reveling in nature. His heart leapt at every chance to sail back to Ireland and his beloved Sligo relatives. The family returned to Dublin from London when Yeats was fifteen.
Struggling with academics persisted into his teenage years, deepening his love affair with the natural world. His passion led him to sleep in a cave for some time, much to the consternation of his teachers.
Yeats’s stint at art school in Dublin, from 1884 to 1886, was uninspiring. He preferred to immerse himself in poetry and explore the mysterious realms of the occult and supernatural. His intellectual pursuits extended to various clubs and societies, where he fervently debated Irish nationalism—the dream of an Ireland free from English rule. Here he crossed paths with notable Irish nationalists, such as John O’Leary, and engaged with the Young Ireland Society, which championed Irish nationalism through literature.
Chapter Two: ‘‘Book I: Four Years: 1887–1891’’
Yeats reflects on four transformative years during which he encountered numerous poets and artists who would indelibly shape his life and become lifelong confidants. In his early twenties, he was invigorated by philosophical conversations with his father’s friends and others. It was during this time he encountered Maude Gonne, the captivating Irish beauty and activist who would forever remain a cherished friend, though she never returned his romantic feelings.
Immersed in the intellectual and literary circles of England and Ireland, Yeats flourished. When his first poetry collection, The Wanderings of Oisin and Other Poems, was published, Oscar Wilde offered glowing praise. The two spent time together, with Wilde admiring Yeats’s talent for recounting Irish folk tales.
Yeats also began his association with Madame Blavatsky and her Theosophical Society and was initiated into MacGregor Mathers’s mystical society, the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn.
Chapter Three: ‘‘Book II: Ireland after Parnell’’
Yeats narrates his efforts in organizing the Irish Literary Society, established in London in 1891,...
(This entire section contains 1283 words.)
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and the National Literary Society, inaugurated the following year in Dublin. These societies aimed to foster Irish independence through the elevation of national literature and the arts.
A significant endeavor of these societies was the New Irish Library, designed to publish and distribute key Irish literary works to libraries across Ireland. However, a conflict over the series’ editorship emerged between Sir Charles Gaven Duffy and Yeats. Despite Duffy securing the role, internal disputes eventually halted the project, leaving Yeats bitter about the failed endeavor.
This essay’s title nods to Charles Stuart Parnell, an Irish politician and founder of the Irish Home Rule Association, who championed Irish autonomy. Parnell's sudden death in 1891 marked, for many, the end of a peaceful resolution to Ireland’s independence struggle. Yeats saw this as a turning point, shifting from political to cultural efforts to uplift Irish nationalism through literature and the arts.
Chapter Four: ‘‘Book III: Hodos Chameliontos’’
The title of this chapter, which Yeats translates as ‘‘The Path of Chameleon,’’ symbolizes the ever-changing, unpredictable nature of his life. Yet, Yeats fondly reflects on his times with Uncle George Pollexfen in Sligo, Ireland. During this chapter, he sought a cohesive philosophy for himself and Ireland, dedicating hours to experimenting with the symbols he learned from Mathers’s Order of the Golden Dawn. Through these explorations, Yeats believed a trained individual could influence another’s mind by focusing on a particular symbol.
Chapter Five: ‘‘Book IV: The Tragic Generation’’
Within these pages, Yeats vividly chronicles the artists and writers who colored his world during the twilight of the 1890s. Their journeys were fraught with hardship, from scathing public censure to grievous ailments. He recollects the dramatic fall of Oscar Wilde, convicted for homosexual conduct and condemned to two years of onerous imprisonment. Tragically, Wilde passed away a mere three years after regaining his freedom. Yeats also reflects on other friends in the artistic circle who succumbed to madness or were claimed by the bottle.
Chapter Six: ‘‘Book V: The Stirring of the Bones’’
Yeats shares a poignant reflection on his dashed dreams for Ireland, overshadowed by the turbulent fervor of Irish activists as the 19th century waned and the 20th century dawned. Among these fervent voices was Maude Gonne, who ignited the public with her passionate calls for Irish independence, though Yeats lamented the looming violence. Yet, amidst this tumult, he cherished the momentous encounter with Lady Gregory, who welcomed him to her Irish estate to heal and convalesce. Together, they embarked on a mission to preserve local folklore and explore the notion of establishing a theater dedicated to Irish dramaturgy.
Chapter Seven: ‘‘Dramatis Personae: 1896–1902’’
In this narrative, Yeats speaks warmly of his friendship with Lady Gregory, a bond that blossomed into a shared vision for an Irish theatrical renaissance. Together, they laid the foundations of the Irish National Theatre in Dublin, bringing to life a repertoire that included Yeats’s own Countess Cathleen and Edward Martyn’s The Heather Field. The stage was graced by the talents of Florence Farr, an actress Yeats esteemed greatly, who frequently appeared in their productions.
Chapter Eight: ‘‘Estrangement: Extracts from a Diary Kept in 1909’’
This segment of Autobiographies presents an intimate tapestry of sixty-one diary entries, penned between January 14 and March 12, 1909. The concise entries weave together musings on Lady Gregory, the Abbey Theatre, familial ties, and Yeats's intellectual pursuits into the mystical and philosophical realms.
Chapter Nine: ‘‘The Death of Synge: Extracts from a Diary Kept in 1909’’
Spanning fifty diary entries from March 12, 1909, through October 1914, this chapter poignantly captures the demise of John Synge in March 1909, alongside Yeats’s reflections on the celebrated playwright he lauded as the finest Irish dramatist. His writings also pay homage to Lady Gregory and their shared endeavors at the Abbey Theatre.
Chapter Ten: ‘‘The Bounty of Sweden’’
In the concluding essay, Yeats recounts the honor of receiving the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1923, and his journey to the heart of Sweden to accept this prestigious accolade. He includes the stirring words of his acceptance speech, ‘‘The Irish Dramatic Movement.’’
