The Winding Stair and Other Poems

The Winding Stair and Other Poems

"The Winding Stair" is a volume of poems by William Butler Yeats, published in 1933. It was the next new volume after 1928's "The Tower". (The title poem was originally published in 1929 by Fountain Press in a signed/limited edition, which is exceedingly rare.)

The title refers to the staircase in the Thoor Ballylee castle which Yeats had purchased and lived in with his family for some time. Yeats saw the castle as a vital connection to the aristocratic Irish past which he admired. The phrase "winding stair" is used in the book's third and most famous poem, "A Dialogue of Self and Soul."

Though this volume includes more poems than "The Tower", it contains fewer famous ones. The most well-known and frequently anthologized by far are "A Dialogue of Self and Soul" and "Byzantium."

"A Dialogue of Self and Soul" depicts two aspects of Yeats' personality in confrontation. His soul rejects mundane concerns in favor of metaphysical contemplation, while his self (which sits with an ancient Japanese sword on its lap) cherishes worldly concerns and affirms the sufferings of Yeats' life. Self is given the final word.

"Byzantium" is a sequel to "Sailing to Byzantium," (from "The Tower"), meant to better explain the ideas of the earlier poem.

Contents

*In Memory of Eva Gore-Booth and Con Markiewicz
*Death
*A Dialogue of Self and Soul
*Blood and the Moon
*Oil and Blood
*Veronica's Napkin
*Symbols
*Spilt Milk
*The Nineteenth Century and After
*Statistics
*Three Movements
*The Seven Sages
*The Crazed Moon
*Coole Park, 1929
*Coole and Ballylee, 1931
*For Anne Gregory
*Swift's Epitaph
*At Algeciras—a Meditation upon Death
*The Choice
*Mohini Chatterjee
*Byzantium
*The Mother of God
*Vacillation
*Quarrel in Old Age
*The Results of Thought
*Gratitude to the Unknown Instructors
*Remorse for Intemperate Speech
*Stream and Sun at Glendalough


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать реферат

Look at other dictionaries:

  • 1933 in literature — The year 1933 in literature involved some significant events and new books.Events* February 17 The magazine Newsweek is published for the first time. * James Joyce s Ulysses is allowed into United States.New books*Hervey Allen Anthony Adverse… …   Wikipedia

  • W. B. Yeats — Yeats redirects here. For other uses, see Yeats (disambiguation). William Butler Yeats photographed in 1911 by George Charles Beresford William Butler Yeats ( …   Wikipedia

  • William Butler Yeats — 1908 William Butler Yeats 1933 Wil …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • William Butler Yeats — (pronEng|ˈjeɪts; 13 June 1865 – 28 January 1939) was an Irish poet and dramatist and one of the foremost figures of 20th century literature. A pillar of both the Irish and English literary establishments, in his later years Yeats served as an… …   Wikipedia

  • List of works by William Butler Yeats — This is a list of all works by William Butler Yeats.* 1886 mdash; Mosada * 1888 mdash; Fairy and Folk Tales of the Irish Peasantry * 1889 mdash; The Wanderings of Oisin and Other Poems * 1891 mdash; Representative Irish Tales * 1891 mdash; John… …   Wikipedia

  • William Butler Yeats — fotografiado en 1911 por George Charles Beresford. William Butler Yeats (Dublín, 13 de junio de 1865 Roquebrune Cap Martin, Francia, 28 de enero de 1939), poeta y …   Wikipedia Español

  • 1933 in poetry — yearbox2 in?=in poetry in2?=in literature cp=19th century c=20th century cf=21st century yp1=1930 yp2=1931 yp3=1932 year=1933 ya1=1934 ya2=1935 ya3=1936 dp3=1900s dp2=1910s dp1=1920s d=1930s da=1940s dn1=1950s dn2=1960s dn3=1970s|Events*Black… …   Wikipedia

  • Lissadell House — is a large country house, located in County Sligo, Ireland.The house was built in the 1830s for Sir Robert Gore Booth, 4th Baronet MP by London architect Francis Goodwin. In 1876, Sir Robert left the house and surrounding estate to his son, Sir… …   Wikipedia

  • Literaturnobelpreis 1923: William Butler Yeats —   Der irische Schriftsteller erhielt den Nobelpreis, weil seine inspirierten Werke in vollendeter künstlerischer Form dem Geist seines Volkes Ausdruck verliehen.    Biografie   William Butler Yeats, * Dublin 13. 6. 1865, ✝ Roquebrune Cap Martin… …   Universal-Lexikon

  • Remorse for Intemperate Speech — is a poem written by William Butler Yeats. It appeared in The Winding Stair and Other Poems. Yeats wrote this poem in August 1931. The contents speak of the fanatic feelings and hatred a person feels …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”