WB Yeats and India A Research in Receiption of Literary Influence

Abstract

In this dissertation would study the influence of Indian culture, literature and philosophy newlineon the poetry of the Irish poet William Butler Yeats and the influence of his poetry on newlineTwentieth Century Indian literature, and also the response of Indian critics and readers to newlineYeats s work. The dissertation will take into account literary, cultural, philosophical as well newlineas religious influences, their reception and responses of a culture to literature from another newlineculture. It is well known that W.B.Yeats was highly influenced by Indian philosophy. Many newlineIndian critics have studied the Indian influence on Yeats s works in great detail. Western newlinecritics have given relatively less attention to his aspects. The dissertation will examine some newlineless studied aspects of Yeats s response to India and some important aspects of Yeats s newlineinfluence on Indian poetry and the response of Indians to the poetry of Yeats. Irish culture and newlinenationalism which are very important elements in Yeats s poetry and which bear a close newlineresemblance to Indian culture and nationalism play an important role in the Indian response to newlineYeats s poetry. These aspects would also be explored and analyzed. This dissertation will newlineproceed with the argument that Yeats s response to India and the Indian response to Yeats newlinecannot be fully understood without a close study of the cultural affinity between India and newlineIreland. Most influence studies and theories of literary influence do not take into account newlineadequately the importance of culture. This dissertation will attempt to relate culture with newlineliterary, philosophical and religious influences and readers response to a foreign literature. It newlineis divided into five parts: the introduction, three chapters and the conclusion. newline