LE3 .A278 2022

2022

La Rocque, Lance

Acadia University

Master of Arts

Masters

English

English & Theatre Studies

This thesis examines the role of nature and spiritual elements such as folklore, myth, and mystical philosophy in W.B. Yeats’ conception of Ireland. Drawing on the concepts ecological imagination and bioregional principles, I argue that in response to the environmentally and culturally destructive impact of colonialism in Ireland, Yeats offers a reimagining of Ireland in order to assert a sense of place, culture, and community in Ireland. In order to diverge from and dismantle British cultural values and their influence in Ireland, Yeats imagines new ways to define, relate to, and live within his bioregion. His reimagining of Ireland takes place in three overlapping areas of his work including his focus on Ireland as a physical and cultural space, the crafting of a suitable ecopoetic through which to express his vision of Ireland, and the employment of spiritual elements to revalue and reimagine his place in the wake of cultural and environmental loss. I argue that Yeats’ ecological reimagining of Ireland seeks to establish a deeper sense of community and connection within his bioregion, restore a relationship with the land that was lost due to environmental destruction, and disentangle conceptions of Ireland from British influences.

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https://scholar.acadiau.ca/islandora/object/theses:3873