Yeats, Folklore and Occultism

Book excerpt: This lively introduction to the poems of W. B. Yeats, first published in 1988, provides a series of intriguing new readings of his work in relation to his profound involvement with occultism and folklore. During Yeats's formative years as an artist, two compelling movements were emerging: the revivals of interest in Irish folklore and in the magical tradition. Yeats later named folklore and occultism as the chief intellectual influences on his youth, and Yeats, Folklore and Occultism sets out to test this claim. This is an important critical book for Yeats scholars and all those concerned with understanding of twentieth-century poetry.