‘That Which is Unique in Man’: The Lightning Flash in Yeats’s Later Thought

Abstract

THE LIGHTNING FLASH in Yeats’s thought receives extensive treatment in his later works, beginning with his interpretation of a personal experience and gradually evolving into a comprehensive view of the relationship of human identity to artistic pursuit. Yet it is a notion which has never been fully understood, for while it is a major tenet of Yeats’s thought, it is not a part of his ‘public philosophy’.¹ It is, therefore, hardly surprising that so many critics have passed over the matter, or been confused by its significance. To help resolve the existing uncertainty, this paper will propose a new understanding of the lightning flash, defining it as a form of communication, descending from Daimon to poet, which bestows a detailed knowledge of self and makes possible the craft of poetry.