William Butler Yeats

It would be hard to think of a writer more brilliant, more accomplished, or more honored than the Irish poet William Butler Yeats (1865-1939). He started writing while in his teens, and rapidly developed his talent while he was still a young man in his twenties.  His first book-length poem was published when he was just 23, and two more volumes appeared before his 30th birthday.  His poems speak of themes important to himself, to Ireland, and to all of humanity.  In 1923 he was awarded the Nobel Prize.

To those Yeats fans who are familiar with his poetry but not with the details of his life story, it might come as a surprise that Yeats exhibited signs of Asperger’s Syndrome (AS).  Dr. Michael Fitzgerald (professor of psychiatry) has outlined the numerous behaviors of Yeats that place him on the autism spectrum, concluding that “a diagnosis of Asperger’s Syndrome certainly comes close to bridging the eccentricities of his personality and his creative genius.”  He suffered from social impairments, communication problems, sensory issues, and fixations.  As we shall see, these AS traits contributed to his unique poetic genius.

As a child growing up in Ireland, Yeats preferred chasing dogs through the woods to playing with other children.  He was withdrawn and shy and seemed to be in his own world much of the time.  He had poor vision, asymmetrical eyes, and an “odd gait” (he had to be taught to walk naturally).  His speech was peppered with repetitive echolalia.  At school he did not mix well with other boys, who picked on him continually.  Like Thoreau, he preferred to roam about in nature by himself: he would wander for miles, by himself, and sleep alone under a rhododendron bush or in a cave. As an adult he still had more than his share of social blunders and found it difficult to relate to women and form love interests.  Finally, at age 52, he married a woman who looked after him.

His writing process was both oral and kinetic—he found it necessary to say lines out loud as he wrote, and often composed poetry while walking (sometimes flapping his arms up and down like a seagull).  Perhaps this contributed to the gorgeous sound and rhythm patterns that marked his early poetry.  His use of alliteration and repetition (echolalia?) catapulted his work into the sublime (Harold Bloom).

Yeats’ poetry and prose feature numerous references to fairies (over 30 poems, and two books of Irish Fairytales).  "No matter what one doubts, one never doubts the faeries," he explained.  Fairies reflect the tendency of AS writers to present characters that are flashy and have an interesting physical presence but are not emotionally or intellectually developed.  Yeats’ interest in fairies is similar to Hans Christian Andersen’s interest in mermaids and emperors or Lewis Carroll’s comic citizens of Wonderland.  AS writer Opal Whiteley was also fixated on fairies and wrote about them incessantly.  Today’s AS individuals are often drawn to characters from fantasy (Dungeons and Dragons games), mythology (computer games such as Age of Mythology), and science fiction (Star Trek, Star Wars), not to mention the current obsession with Japanese Anime (cartoons) and Manga (comic books).  What fantastic characters such as these all have in common are the very reasons why AS people find them appealing: they are simple and uncomplicated, lacking the emotional complexity of humans; they are easily categorized by type, which adds to the Aspergen pleasure of identifying and classifying and sorting and collecting them; and they have the heightened sensory ability and special magic powers which make them very attractive.

As Yeats yearned to understand who he was and what he was destined to become, he used writing as a tool for self-discovery.  Biographer Richard Ellman notes: “he spent much of his life attempting to understand the deep contradictions within his mind,” and turned to writing to resolve “the ultimate perplexity as to the meaning of his experiences.”  Every poem he wrote was, in a sense, a fragmented piece of himself.  As a shy writer on the spectrum, Yats explored his feelings without directly exposing them—both the island and the tower can be read as personal symbols for his autism.

In “Lake Isle of Innisfree,” for example, he dreams of living in a small cabin (like Thoreau) on an island that is in a lake that is surrounded by land.  He will live alone and create a world of his own, hearing the sounds of bees, crickets, and linnets.  The islands will become a refuge from civilization—and other people.  Many people on the autism spectrum, overwhelmed by too much society and too much sensory overload, often prefer to be alone within “the deep heart’s core.”

The tower is another image that may be read as a personal symbol of his autism.  After he married his wife, he took her to the West of Ireland and showed her Thoor Ballylee, the ancient tower they would make their home, writing “I claim this tower is my symbol.”  In “A Prayer for my Daughter,” Yeats describes feeling safe enclosed in the tower with his family.  Comparing this poem directly to “Innisfree” reveals a continued desire for separation from the outside world, and a continued search for peace.  But in the tower he is no longer alone: he has the company of a daughter he loves, as well as the responsibility of raising her.  He has learned to put someone else’s needs above his own.  He was to write several poems featuring tower imagery.

Even though Yeats said throughout his life “I know very little about myself,” he did understand that something about him was different and that this difference caused his isolation and separateness from the world.  And what he did know of himself he etched into his poems: “I write many poems where an always personal emotion is woven into a general pattern of myth and symbol.”  By paying close attention to his poetic writing style, we can learn a great deal about how a person’s neurology affects the way that he uses language.  By paying close attention to his emphasis on fairies, we can learn a great deal about what fascinates the mind of an individual who is on the autism spectrum.  And by paying close attention to his construction of island and tower symbolism, we can learn a great deal about how this poetic genius felt about himself and his place in the world.