On Wednesday, we visited the National Library of Ireland to see Yeats: The Life and Work of William Butler Yeats. I thought the exhibition was really great. There were so many cool pieces included, and he is an author I knew very little about before going in, so it was cool to get to learn more about his life and legacy. This is also part of my issue. A few of us were discussing how Yeats was pretty problematic in his life. He supported eugenics (to be fair, it was before World War II, so the same implications may not really apply like they might today), and he spent a lot of time pursuing a woman who had completely, repetitively rejected him. I know that may seem “common,” but it sounds exactly like the same kind of guy I would actively avoid in real life. I could be mistaken, but I believe he actually ended up marrying the woman’s daughter or granddaughter. He’s like an ancient Woody Allen. (Jokes, kind of.)

Speaking of Woody Allen, I am a really huge fan of his movies, but I know he’s a deeply problematic man. I was thinking about how we are supposed to separate the author from the work, and how difficult it is to view their works in the same light when we learn how problematic they might have been in their life. I don’t know what the right answer is. Can I watch Annie Hall or Manhattan and not think about the strange connection between Allen’s character and his apparent real life persona? Can I read Yeats’ love poems and not cringe because I am aware of who his likely object of affection is?