The correct answer is 3. His Friends in the Irish Literary Revival because W.B. Yeats referred to the group of poets, playwrights, and writers associated with the Irish Literary Revival as "the last Romantics" in the sense that they were deeply engaged in a cultural and artistic movement that sought to revive and celebrate Irish folklore, mythology, and traditional forms of literature. The Irish Literary Revival, also known as the Celtic Revival, was a literary and cultural movement in the late 19th and early 20th centuries that aimed to promote Irish national identity and artistic expression.
Yeats, along with other figures like Lady Gregory, J.M. Synge, and others, played a crucial role in this movement. By calling themselves "the last Romantics," Yeats was acknowledging their dedication to a romanticized vision of Ireland, steeped in mythology and nationalistic pride, in an era that was increasingly dominated by modernism and industrialization.
The other options are incorrect because:
The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood was a group of English painters, poets, and critics founded in 1848, known for their medieval-inspired themes and realism, not directly connected to Yeats.
The Imagiste poets were a modernist movement in early 20th-century Anglo-American poetry that emphasized clarity and precision, quite different from the romanticism Yeats was referring to.
While Maud Gonne was a significant figure in Yeats's life, and he was certainly romantic in his affection for her, the phrase "We were the last Romantics" was not about their personal relationship but about the broader literary and cultural movement he was part of.
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