2003 0-7734-6811-0 The period between the fall of Parnell in 1890 and the Easter Rising 1916, is one of the most complex in Irish history due to the close interrelation between politics and culture. Literature played a significant role in the gestation of the modern Irish nation, and the Anglo-Irish Literary Movement led by Lady Gregory, William Butler Yeats, and John Millington Synge became repeatedly involved in the political struggle. This book investigates the intricate relationship between writers and politics and their responsibility for the emerging radicalization of nationalism toward 1916. It also considers the question of the writers’ own involvement in the nationalist cause, and focuses on the interplay of politics, nationalism and the very human element of personality and timing in order to elucidate the mechanics of national mobilization before 1916.