| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
||||||||
| |
|
|
|
|||||||
| |
|
|
|
|||||||
| |
|
|
|
|
||||||
| |
|
|
|
|||||||
Magic Words, Magic Brush: The Art of William Butler and Jack Yeats
Curriculum
Lesson III: The Influences and Change
Overview:
W. B. Yeats was born in 1865 and died in 1939. Jack Yeats was born in1871 and
died in 1957. These dates are of very special significance to any study of the
two artists because the time spans mirror the dramatic changes that occurred
in the philosophical, political, social, and ensuing cultural landscapes of
the last part of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th. The dates
also serve as a frame in which to examine further the influences of places and
people, including family, on the two maturing artists. The following suggested
instructional activities are designed to help students better understand the
shifting dynamics that would unsettle and re-contour the cultural expression
of the above time period, and to use this background to help penetrate the complexity
of the themes and forms found in the works of W. B. and Jack Yeats.
A. The Changing Cultural Milieu
Align students in three or four person teams, each team to research and then construct brief summaries, for formal class presentation, of key philosophical concepts of one of the following: Darwin; Marx; Freud; Jung; and Nietzsche. Encourage the teams to read excerpts from primary sources and to center the presentation on the idea base of their assigned source, avoiding long biographical accounts
Following presentations, lead a discussion on the impact of the above theorists on the outlook of the age, evoking students to probe their knowledge of history (with teacher input) to consider, inductively, how the ideas of the above sources could effect dramatic change in the ways people thought about themselves and their world.
As a separate discussion, or integrated into the above, explore the implication of the Industrial Revolution, growth of technology, and WWI and WWII on the social, political, and cultural psyche of the age.
Assign students to read the chapter, "The Dynamo and the Virgin", an excerpt from Henry Adams', The Education of Henry Adams. As a follow-up, through discussion or writing, test them on their understanding of the implication of the two images as developed by Adams in the chapter.
Divide the class into three-person groups. Assign each group the task of drawing together a general profile of the mindset of late 19th and early 20th century, drawing from earlier discussions and readings and from previous work they have done in history, literature, language courses, science, etc..
As a follow-up, initiate an open discussion of the assertion: When the cultural outlook changes, so does art expression (in both theme and form), fashion, architecture, interior design, manners and mores, etc. mirrors the change..
Assign students interested in dance to give a presentation and/or demonstration of Isadora Duncan's work. This special activity should particularly address the fact that much of Duncan's work was inspired by Darwin's theory of evolution and Nietzche's ideas.
B.
William Butler Yeats: Reflective Mirror
Overview:
One of many fascinating aspects in the study of William Butler Yeats and his
writing is the tracing of the impact of the dynamic forces of cultural change
on the themes and forms of his work. This study is enhanced, particularly, when
translating that impact through the filter of the sweeping changes in art expression
throughout the canons of literary and fine and performing arts of that time
period and the range of personalities with whom Yeats interacted. Yeats' autobiography
is a rich testimony documenting his association with people and ideas that influenced
him. His work, itself, provides the hard evidence of how his individual fingerprint
emerges from the tug and pull of various people and ideas on his art expression.
In his autobiography, Yeats recounts how he was introduced to the great Romantic
voices of Blake, Shelley, Keats, and other Romantics, and the American Transcendentalist,
Henry David Thoreau, through his father reading aloud to him early on. The autobiography
also records how, as he began to hone his skill as a poet and dramatist (he
also did some painting), he was drawn to the works of Victorian, Alfred Lord
Tennyson and, particularly, to the art and philosophy of the Pre-Raphaelites.
Others voices, often through direct interaction, would have tremendous impact
on Yeats and his work: for instance, J. M. Synge, Oscar Wilde, William Morris,
Henry Adams; members of the Rhymer's Club (which Yeats helped to found); Ezra
Pound; and Lady Gregory. And, of course, any study of Yeats must give recognition
to his mutable association with the Irish Nationalist Movement and his consuming,
unrequited love for Maud Gonne.
The following lesson designs are dedicated to immersing students in activities that give them insight into the complex forces of influence and change as Yeats moves back and forth in the environments of Sligo, London, and Dublin and how his work absorbed and transcended these influences to create the unique "Yeatsian" voice.
Introduce students to the Imagists by examining Ezra Pound's brief poem, "In the Station of the Metro". Encourage students to ponder Pound's assertion that " In a poem of this sort, one is trying to record the precise instant when a thing outward and objective transforms itself into a thing inward and subjective." ( a quote that will be helpful in explicating Yeats' poetry). Clarify the equation of the title of the poem in relation to the first and second line. Raise the question as to why Pound called an image a "vortex"and the Imagists "Vorticists" in the early stages of the movement.
Divide the class into three or four person teams. Assign each team to read and develop a brief written summary of and report back on one excerpt of Yeats' autobiography. One team, for instance, would cover his response to the Romantic poets, another, his PreRaphaelite "period", others, his interaction with William Morris, his association with the Rhymer's Club, George Bernard Shaw, and other Victorians; other teams could cover his response to the new art forms of the Imagists, Symbolists, etc., particularly the influences of Ezra Pound and Stephane Mallarme.Read aloud a translation of Stephane Mallarme's poem, "l'apres-midi d'un faune" ( if possible, have a student read the poem in French). Discuss the "Symbolist" qualities of the poem, reminding students that Yeats was strongly influenced by the Symbolist school and their concept of a "third reality" emerging from a symbol.
Also, some students could make a connection with Debussy's music composition by the same name, particularly examining tone quality of the music in relation to tone quality of the poem. A companion study for studentd interested in dance could be researching the choreography and performances of Loie Fuller; much of her work centered on the imaginative transformation of nature through symbol. (Jowitt documents Mallarme's comment on Fuller's work as "the visual embodiment of the idea"., symbol created by costumes and movement.
Review (or introduce) basic precepts of Romantic thought, giving particular attention to the emphasis placed on the mystical. (Note to teacher: range and depth of this background work could be as limited as sharing a few poems of the Romantics to covering some in- depth work, for older students, that included such aspects as analysis of the Sublime, Fundamental Unity, and the Kantian idea of the Categorical Imperative.)If students have not covered Lesson I of the Unit, related to geographical background of Ireland, consider using some of the suggested activities to provide a backdrop for further study of Yeats.
Set up a collaborative project in which small groups examine a few works by the Pre-Raphaelites for the purpose of demonstrating aspects that Yeats, as suggested by his autobiography, found appealing For instance: one group could examine and share one or two poems by Christina Rossetti; another could focus on Algernon Swineburne; another could find prints to display of Pre-Raphaelite paintings.
Assign students especially interested in art to construct and present a lesson on Modernist art forms (Impressionism, Expressionism, Cubism, etc.); follow with a discussion of how these forms relate to movements within the Modernist literary canon, such as that of the Imagists, Symbolists, Cubists (Gertrude Stein).
Evoke students to think about specific ways these forms might demonstrate the Modernist idea that "less is more". As part of this conversation, in preparation for explicating Yeats' poetry, also examine ways Modernist art forms accommodate the modern arguments that ambiguity and relativity dominate human experience and knowledge.
Encourage students interested in dance to engage in a special project related to changing dance idiom of the late 19th and early 20th century time period. The project should incorporate such figures as Isadore Duncan, Ruth St. Dennis, Ted Shawn, and Martha Graham; the presentation could be in the form of an oral report supplemented with video excerpts or prints, or it could be in Web page or student-made (including a student demonstration) video. An important follow-up step would be a discussion of how the changing dance idiom reflects the changing aspects of form in other genres of art and culture (painting, literature, music; also, photography, architecture, fashion, etc.).
{There is a notation in a current book by Deborah Jowitt, Time and the Dancing Image, in which she quotes J B Yeats response to seeing Isadora Duncan perform for the first time.}An interesting way to pull together specific background material valuable to understanding how Yeats work fits into the canon of literary tradition would be to have students role play impromptu or designed "conversations" built around specific areas of emphasis. For instance, W B Yeats and Jack Yeats in dialogueJ with John Ruskin and Walter Pater concerning the new forms of art expression in relation to the traditional. There are numerous possibilities for engaging students in impromptu "conversation" topics based on assigned readings related to the cultural shifts of the time and Yeats' responses to these shifts. Such "conversations" could also involve personalities related to Irish Nationalist Movement and could incorporate the reading of a Yeats' poem to fuel the dialogue.
Assign students to read and prepare for discussion, T. S. Eliot's essay, "Tradition and the Individual Talent". Examine selections of Yeats' poetry, to "test" Eliot's theory, for instance, Leda and the Swan.
Virtual Exhibits || Storytelling || Lesson Plans || Music Exchange || Online Resources
a special
project of
