Work of William Butler Yeats The Significance of Fairies in Irish Literature
... These words appear repeatedly in William Butler Yeats’s poem, “The Stolen Child,” which is one of his works about fairies and their role in Irish mythology and legends. Several of his poetic works, such as “The Stolen Child” and “The Song of Wandering Aengus,” include allusions to or descriptions of these creatures, because they are an important facet in Irish history. Yeats believed in preserving Ireland’s history through art, and because Irish fairies symbolize eternal youth and escape, Yeats places these magical figures in his poems to show readers that Ireland is a place of adventure, art, and culture. In Yeats’s early poetry, Irish folklore is vividly illustrated; as a result, the reader is informed of the immortal creatures (fairies) and their significance in the history of Irish folklore and literature. William Butler Yeats (1865-1939), the Irish poet and dramatist, was born in Dublin, Ireland, and lived in London, England for a significant part of his childhood. ... Because of his deep love for Irish symbols, “Yeats develops elaborate works about Irish history and culture as a recurring cycle of events” (Wentz 2). This cycle describes a universe that encompasses not only the mortal world, but also the magical land of Tir na nOg; moreover, Yeats expresses his views about history and life through the use of old Irish folktales and legends of Irish history. Even though Yeats did receive harsh criticism for believing in fairies and mysticism during his lifetime, many modern critics consider him to be the greatest poet of his time, as well as one of the most talented and influential poets of the English language (Wentz 1).