W.B. Yeats: His Poetry and Politics

Although politics is supposed to be something dirty that will contaminate the otherwise pure stream of poetry, all great poets right from the days of Homer have dealt with political events covertly or overtly. Born in the second half of the nineteenth century when Irish nationalism was reaching its peak, Yeats, under the influence of his father and the Irish leader John Butt, became a nationalist. His nationalism and direct involvement in politics deepened under the influence of the Fenian Leader John O’Leary. No doubt, Yeats’s poetry shows the influence of Spenser, Blake, Shelley, French symbolism and Western and Indian philosophy, it was the Irish politics that shaped his thought and poetry to the greatest extent. W.B. Yeats: His Poetry and Politics traces Yeats’s growth as a poet in the politics of his time. The conclusion is: although poetry remained his main objective it was not the goat; autonomous in existence it was a means to achieve Unity of Culture and Unity of Being. The book will be immense value for students, researchers and teachers of modern English poetry.