Overview
William Butler Yeats (1865-1939) was not only a major Irish poet, but also a playwright, theater founder, politician, and literary critic. In his early life, he immersed himself in Irish folk stories and mythology, which he would later weave so skillfully into his major poems and plays. He devoted himself to occult studies and philosophy, and he found dignity and significance in the land, people, and history of his native Ireland. He was largely responsible for the Irish literary renaissance, for he encouraged his contemporaries to turn to the Irish past for their literary material. His works have generated volumes of critical commentary, and interest in his tremendous cultural contribution continues to grow. This reference book is a comprehensive guide to his life and work, and to the large body of scholarship that has been written about him.
The book begins with a chronology that presents the chief events of Yeats' life in capsule form. The volume then provides more than 1000 alphabetically arranged entries on Yeats' publications, fictional characters, mythological figures, places with which Yeats was associated, organizations to which he belonged, and the many historical persons whom he either knew or whom he mentioned in his many writings. Most entries include lists of works for further reading, and the volume concludes with a selected, general bibliography of primary and secondary sources.