This study of W.B. Yeats' aesthetic of artistic power, demonstrates the centrality in his work, from his earliest essay to the great poems and plays of his last years, regarding the concept that art might shape life. Drawing upon the Irish bardic tradition as well as such figures as Shelley, Blake and Wilde, he developed a stance that enabled him to reconcile the exacting demands of literary craftsmanship, his interest in occult thought and his desire to advance the cause of Irish nationalism. In addition to throwing light ...
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This study of W.B. Yeats' aesthetic of artistic power, demonstrates the centrality in his work, from his earliest essay to the great poems and plays of his last years, regarding the concept that art might shape life. Drawing upon the Irish bardic tradition as well as such figures as Shelley, Blake and Wilde, he developed a stance that enabled him to reconcile the exacting demands of literary craftsmanship, his interest in occult thought and his desire to advance the cause of Irish nationalism. In addition to throwing light on many of Yeats' most well-known texts, this study has important implications for literary theory in the post-deconstructionist era.
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