Yeats and the Learning of the Imagination by Kathleen Raine, RARE, LN HC w/dj
At a time when Yeats studies are narrowing down the focus of
interest to the minutiae of the poet's personal life, this book argues
that by his 'learning of the Imagination' W.B. Yeats was not only a
great poet but also a great imaginative mind. His work marks a cultural
watershed in that where as English poetry up to and including Eliot drew
upon European civilisation, Yeats additionally drew upon world culture:
Irish mythology, Arabic, Japanese, Indian wisdom and much besides. The
extent and import of his learning cannot, as the author argues, be
appreciated by a mentality that merely reflects current materialist
values. The Irish poet stood within a tradition of spiritual and
esoteric knowledge which has been largely ignored by his critics making
many of their judgements inappropriate. Kathleen Raine's words in this
book distill for us the essence of Yeat's imagination. We appreciate not
only the beauty of the poems of this great craftsman of words but also
his desire to inspire the deepening of soul knowledge.
Mint condition; gift quality. Pages clean: No writing, underlining, highlighting, or tears. Dust jacket protected in mylar. Black cloth on boards with gold spine titling. Binding strong. No remainder mark. No inscription. Not ex-library. From private smoke-free collection. In stock, ships from CO. Great customer service.