William Butler Yeats's Late Poetry - Analysis and Interpretation - Lecture 6

Explore the late poetry of William Butler Yeats in this 45-minute lecture from Yale University's Modern Poetry course. Delve into Yeats's fascination with human knowledge and its connection to the body, particularly the aging body, as traced through poems like "Leda and the Swan," "Sailing to Byzantium," and "In Memory of Eva Gore-Booth and Con Markievicz." Examine the poet's later interest in joy, madness, and "gaiety" in "Crazy Jane Talks with the Bishop." Compare Yeats's de-mystifying approach to art in "The Circus Animals' Destruction" with his celebration of art in "Lapis Lazuli." The lecture covers six chapters, including introductions to Yeats's late poems and analyses of specific works, offering a comprehensive look at the themes and evolution of Yeats's later poetry.