W.B. Yeats

[andave_ya]

Based on all the talk on these forums about Yeats, I want to start reading him. Any suggestions? Where do I begin? Thanks. :D

[Niamh]

A good start is usually his poems. A celtic twilight and a few other collections. Alot of the poems in the Celtic Twilight are mythological. (so got some fairies! :p)
If you are interested in reading his plays, An Baile Strand is very good.

[quasimodo1]

To andave ya: You can find his work here; i.e. on the litnet. I tend to want to read a poet in chronological order but there are no rules about this.

[Virgil]

Andave you might want to pick up either The Collected Poems of W.B. Yeats, (http://www.amazon.com/Collected-Poems-W-B-Yeats/dp/0684807319) or The Norton Anthology of English Lit, Vol 2 (http://www.amazon.com/Norton-Anthology-English-Literature-7th/dp/0393974901). The Collected Poems is strictly covers Yeats; The Norton Anth Vol 2 covers modern english lit and inclues Yeats's great poems. I like The Nortons because it has plenty of footnotes that help explain things you wouldn't normally know. But make sure it's Vol 2. That covers from 1800 or so to present. Vol 1 is before that and won't have Yeats in there. The Collected Poems is also a fine edition. It gives some explainations but just a little. But it has much more of Yeats's poems.

Good luck. I love Yeats. If you have any questions on a poem, give me a PM and I'll try to help.

[andave_ya]

Great, thanks for your help everyone. I'll definitely start reading them soon.

[lavendar1]

I admit it: I'm a sucker for 'love' poems. And I think Yeats' "When You Are Old" is one of the finest love poems ever written. Another of my personal favorites is one he called "The Balloon Of The Mind." It's one I keep in mind every time I sit down to write:

Hands, do what you're bid:
Bring the balloon of the mind
That bellies and drags in the wind
Into its narrow shed.

Short. Sweet. Wonderful.

And while you're reading Yeats' poems, if you want to take a closer look at the man himself, I'd suggest two books: Yeats, by Harold Bloom -- it's a bit scholarly, but don't be intimidated by it; it's good stuff. And a book that shows a different side of this fascinating man -- Yeats's Ghosts, by Brenda Maddox. Yeats was interested in mysticism and engaged in stuff like 'automatic script,' and they're discussed in this book, along with Yeats' many unhappy relationships with women.

Happy Reading!

P.S. I just thought of something else: I've got a book that Yeats edited, called "Irish Fairy and Folk Tales." It's worth reading if you can find it -- Yeats' introduction to the book is so good; he speaks of the genesis and growth of storytelling in Ireland. And the little volume includes tales of fairies, ghosts, witches, devils, kings -- the very best of Ireland's fine oral tradition. I love a tale called "The White Trout."

[Niamh]

P.S. I just thought of something else: I've got a book that Yeats edited, called "Irish Fairy and Folk Tales." It's worth reading if you can find it -- Yeats' introduction to the book is so good; he speaks of the genesis and growth of storytelling in Ireland. And the little volume includes tales of fairies, ghosts, witches, devils, kings -- the very best of Ireland's fine oral tradition. I love a tale called "The White Trout."

Is that the LAdy Gregory one? i think i have that also!

[lavendar1]

Is that the LAdy Gregory one? i think i have that also!

Hi Niamh,

I'm not sure -- the one I have says "Modern Library" on the cover. There's no date of publication listed, but it was a gift to someone in 1924. In the back, there's an advertisement for other Modern Library books (from Boni and Liveright, New York). It's "hand bound in limp binding," and says "Inscribed to my mystical friend, G.R" on the page that precedes the table of contents.

But apart from all that, it's a great book.

BTW...may I ask a true resident of Ireland a question: What do you think of the contemporary Irish playwright Thomas Kilroy? I must become a quick expert on him -- Yikes! I'd appreciate any knowledge you might have or could direct me to about him.