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A Reader's Guide to William Butler Yeats » (Reprint)

Book cover image of A Reader's Guide to William Butler Yeats by John Unterecker

Authors: John Unterecker
ISBN-13: 9780815603405, ISBN-10: 0815603401
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Syracuse University Press
Date Published: April 1996
Edition: Reprint

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Author Biography: John Unterecker

Book Synopsis

The poetry of William Butler Yeats presents unusual problems for the general reader. Yeats drew heavily upon mystical and theosophical systems of a more or less arcane nature. Moreover, he often referred to events in his own life and in the history of modern Ireland which require elucidition for the non-specialist. A Reader's Guide to William Butler Yeats not only provides the background needed for an understanding of the works but also reveals the structure of images and meanings of the various lyrics.

Table of Contents

IThe Major Themes
The Use of Biography7
The Doctrine of the Mask15
Systems: Occult and Visionary18
The Structure of a Poem29
Images, Metaphors, and Literary Systems32
The Great Design43
IIThe Poems
1. The Wanderings of Oisin47
2. Crossways67
3. The Rose75
4. The Wind Among the Reeds87
5. In the Seven Woods96
6. From 'The Green Helmet and Other Poems'102
7. Responsibilities112
8. The Wild Swans at Coole130
9. Michael Robartes and the Dancer157
10. The Tower169
11. The Winding Stair200
12. From 'A Full Moon in March'241
13. Last Poems255
A Yeats Chronology296
Suggestions for Further Reading301
Index302

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