W.B. Yeats

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Disadvantages: read it, you won't be disappointed

...Yeats is without a doubt one of the most significant and influential poets of recent times, and probably the most important Anglo-Irish poet ever. His poems are deeply affecting, especially those concerning his unrequited love for Maud Gonne. They deal with diverse subjects like Irish politics of the time, the Republican movement, and more personal themes like love, growing old, death and the problems he saw facing an artist. My favourite poem is probably "Sailing To Byzantium;" "He Wishes For The Cloths Of Heaven" is beautiful too. I highly recommend this to anyone with even a passing interest in poetry. Yeats's poem "The Second Coming" now seems the true herald of our time. Finneran's edition includes this poem in context, in its order in the development of Yeats's work. Read it as Yeat meant it to be read: followed by his equally... Read review

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Advantages: his poetry can transport you
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...Throughout all of Yeats’ work there are certain themes and ideas that are nearly always present. These include, a love of art that Yeats wants to share, ideas of rural and united Ireland, age and possibly most prolifically a deep expression of love by Yeats for Maude Gonne. However, the love he expressed toward Maude Gonne was never requited. This had a profound affect on Yeats’ work, life and opinions. Three poems that I feel illustrate this idea very successfully include, “The Pity of Love”, “The Sorrow of Love” and “When You Are Old”. These three poems where also included in a special manuscript along with “White Birds” which Yeats gave to Maude Gonne as another expression of how he felt. Another aspect of Yeats’ poetry shows how, over time his actual attitude towards... Read review

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Advantages: Accessibilty
Disadvantages: Who's heard of him?

...In Collected Poems Augustine Martin has compiled an extensive piece of Irish Literary history. Not only does this capture the young romantic poet, before his more political voice matures, in the collection from Crossways(1889) and The Rose(1893) but also his finest piece of works in The Wild Swans at Coole(1919)and Michael Robarts and the Dancer(1921). The latter two collections are worth the £8.99 alone in terms of quality and social history. I do not wish to negate his earlier pieces of work but unfortunately they capture the period in which he borrowed heavily from the mysticism and verbal intrigue of William Blake's work, as well as from Doone. His earlier pieces have highlights, such as the Isle of Innisfree but in no way classify Yeats as a writer of his time. Each of his works are in comparison with later writers... Read review

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