A Critical Study of Diarmuid and Grania (1901), A Play By William Butler Yeats and George Moore

Abstract

<p>This thesis provides a critical examination of a play which has virtually been forgotten in the eighty-five years since its first and only production. Since 1901 most critics have preferred to recount the host of legends and anecdotes surrounding the authors and the performance, and thus the play itself, which is by no means without literary interest, has been unjustly overlooked. As the work was the result of a collaboration, the critical approach taken in the thesis has been to isolate themes and theories peculiar to its authors, Yeats and Moore, in an attempt to consider the text meaningfully. Yeats in this period was attempting to unite mystical and artistic expression, while Moore wanted to explore psychological conflict, develop memorable female characters, and employ Wagnerian ideas and borrowings within his writing. This variance of literary objectives, it will be argued, is primarily responsible for the failure of Diarmuid and Grania as a work of art. Because both men were attempting to enrich Irish culture by providing an alternative to its moribund, foreign-dominated drama, this thesis also considers the text within the context of dramatic innovations in the 1890s, and suggests that its principal significance is as a landmark in the evolution of a truly Irish theatre.</p>