Question

Which influential literary figure famously encouraged J.M. Synge to document the life of the rural Irish?

• A. Lady Gregory
• B. W.B. Yeats
• C. George Bernard Shaw
• D. Oscar Wilde

Answer 1

Answer:

B. W.B. Yeats

The Influence of W.B. Yeats on J.M. Synge and the Irish Literary Revival

• It was William Butler Yeats (W.B. Yeats), a pivotal figure in Irish literature, who advised John Millington Synge to abandon his pursuit of European literature and instead immerse himself in the lives of rural Irish people.
• Yeats encountered Synge in Paris in 1896 and, recognizing Synge's unique potential, encouraged him to move to the Aran Islands off the west coast of Ireland.
• The advice was specific: Synge should live among the islanders, learn their dialect, and document their experiences, customs, and folklore, believing this would provide a rich source for dramatic material.
• This counsel was instrumental in shaping Synge's literary career, leading him to produce some of the most enduring works of the Irish Literary Revival.
• Synge's experiences on the Aran Islands directly inspired his prose work The Aran Islands (published in 1907) and critically informed plays like Riders to the Sea (1904) and The Playboy of the Western World (1907).

Key Facts for Competitive Exams:

• W.B. Yeats (1865–1939) was a Nobel laureate (awarded in 1923) and one of the foremost figures of 20th-century literature. He was a central force in the Irish Literary Revival and a co-founder of the Abbey Theatre in Dublin.
• Yeats's major works include collections of poetry like The Tower, The Wild Swans at Coole, and plays such as Cathleen Ni Houlihan.
• J.M. Synge (1871–1909) was an Irish playwright, poet, and prose writer, also a key figure in the Irish Literary Revival. His plays are noted for their poetic language, tragicomic elements, and realistic portrayal of rural Irish life.
• Synge's most famous plays are Riders to the Sea (1904), a one-act tragedy, and The Playboy of the Western World (1907), which caused riots upon its premiere due to its perceived controversial portrayal of Irish character.
• The Irish Literary Revival (also known as the Celtic Twilight) was a movement at the end of the 19th and early 20th centuries, dedicated to promoting a distinctively Irish culture and identity through literature, drawing on Irish folklore, mythology, and rural life.
• Other significant figures of the Irish Literary Revival include Lady Augusta Gregory and Edward Martyn, who, along with Yeats, were instrumental in establishing the Abbey Theatre.