This in-college day one-day course examines the final two decades of Yeats’ career. Tracking the development of the poet chronologically, selecting the greatest poems from each collection in turn, we shall discover the variety of his artistic output: modernist , elegist, symbolist, love poet, lyric poet, and political poet.
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The course explores the development of Yeats’s poetic career from his late middle to late periods, considering his poems in relation to important contexts. We shall examine Yeats’ enduring interest in Celtic mythology, mysticism and the occult, Irish nationalism, Irish, British and European cultural life, his loves, family relations, social milieu, family life, the importance of Lady Augusta Gregory, and his relation to Modernist writers. We’ll consider his complex attitudes to standards of aesthetic value, social class, and the role of ‘sprezzatura’ in both poetic form and gatekeeping of aesthetics.
What will we cover?
The course spans the years 1915-1939, examining his final seven collections of poetry: The Wild Swans at Coole (1917 and 1919), Michael Robartes and the Dancer (1921), The Tower (1928), The Winding Stair and Other Poems (1933), Parnell’s Funeral and Other Poems (1935) New Poems (1938), and Last Poems (1939).
We shall consider Yeats’s complex and ambivalent response to the Easter Rising and Irish radical political figures, his involvement in the Irish senate and the ways his public duties are depicted in in his poems, such as ‘Among Schoolchildren’. Examining his position as a leading figure of the Irish Renaissance, we’ll debate his views of setting cultural standards in poems such as ‘In Memory of Major Robert Gregory’, and the later, ‘The Municipal Gallery Revisited’ as well as the Coole Park poems. We’ll move to consider the private and domestic aspects of Yeats as a father in ‘A Prayer for my Daughter’ as well as consider his fears of ageing and loss of creative and personal potency in the collection Parnell’s Funeral and Other Poems as well as the late ‘The Circus Animal’s Desertion’. We shall explore the ways his collection The Tower intersects with The Winding Stair and Other Poems, and consider outstanding poems such as ‘Sailing to Byzantium’ and ‘The Second Coming’. In studying these texts we will cover some important concepts of poetry, including intertextuality, intratextuality, literary tradition, palimpsest, self-reflexivity, scansion and versification.
What will I achieve? By the end of this course you should be able to...
• Appreciate the challenges and rewards of the varied poetic forms Yeats uses • Understand how Yeats used these forms to depict individual and collective experiences at a particular time in the early twentieth century • Identify the ways Yeats continued to experiment throughout his career • Discuss the relevance of Yeats’ engagement with folklore, politics, national identity, Romantic and Aesthetic writing,
What level is the course and do I need any particular skills?
Some experience of the study of poetry would be useful but anyone with an interest in Yeats is welcome.
Learners will need to have an enthusiasm for poetry, an open-mindedness towards different approaches to interpretation, and a willingness to listen to the views of others.
How will I be taught, and will there be any work outside the class?
There will be a mixture of tutor presentation and small-group and whole-class discussion. We will study key poems from each collection.
A familiarity with the texts is helpful but not a requirement. Key poems will be provided in advance of the class.
Are there any other costs? Is there anything I need to bring?
We will select poems from the following:
WB Yeats, Poetry, ed. Daniel Albright (Everyman Classics)
Key poems will be provided in advance of the class by the tutor.
When I've finished, what course can I do next?
Look for other Poetry courses in our Literature programme under History, Culture and Humanities/Literature/Poetry at www.citylit.ac.uk.
Alexander has taught advanced Literature and English Language for over twenty-five years. A Former Head of English, Alexander currently teaches Literature courses to adults at The Questors Theatre, Ealing, and to students at a 6th Form College in Kensington. He has been writing a book on the critical reception of JG Ballard, worked at three top ten 6th Form Colleges, and trained A level teachers how to teach ‘Critical Discourse Analysis’. He holds an MA distinction in Shakespeare Studies, a PGCE, a first in English Literature BA (hons.), and a DipEngl in English Language. An FRSA, he brings a passionate commitment to life-long learning, to making connections between disciplines, and to creating supportive and engaging learning environments.
Please note: We reserve the right to change our tutors from those advertised. This happens rarely, but if it does, we are unable to refund fees due to this. Our tutors may have different teaching styles; however we guarantee a consistent quality of teaching in all our courses.
product
https://www.citylit.ac.uk/the-poetry-of-w-b-yeats-later-poems-1919-19392744912The Poetry of W.B. Yeats: later poems, 1919-1939https://www.citylit.ac.uk/media/catalog/product/t/h/the-poetry-of-w-b-yeats-later-poems-1919-1939-hlt388-1080.jpg6969GBPInStock/Courses/Courses/Culture, history & humanities/Courses/Culture, history & humanities/Literature/Courses/Culture, history & humanities/Literature/Poetry22851177118711901228511771187<p>This in-college day one-day course examines the final two decades of Yeats’ career. Tracking the development of the poet chronologically, selecting the greatest poems from each collection in turn, we shall discover the variety of his artistic output: modernist , elegist, symbolist, love poet, lyric poet, and political poet. </p>002744834The Poetry of W.B. Yeats: later poems, 1919-19396969https://www.citylit.ac.uk/media/catalog/product/t/h/the-poetry-of-w-b-yeats-later-poems-1919-1939-hlt388-1080_1.jpgInStockDaytimeSunKeeley StreetNo longer availableOne-off onlyWeekend2026-05-10T00:00:00+00:00Beginners, Some experience, Advanced, Suitable for allMay 2026Culture, history & humanitiesHLT3886969The Poetry of W.B. Yeats: later poems, 1919-1939554569Alexander Fairbairn-Dixonthe-poetry-of-w-b-yeats-later-poems-1919-1939/hlt388-2526<p>This in-college day one-day course examines the final two decades of Yeats’ career. Tracking the development of the poet chronologically, selecting the greatest poems from each collection in turn, we shall discover the variety of his artistic output: modernist , elegist, symbolist, love poet, lyric poet, and political poet. </p>0015-FullStillOpen|2026-05-10 00:00:00<p>The course explores the development of Yeats’s poetic career from his late middle to late periods, considering his poems in relation to important contexts. We shall examine Yeats’ enduring interest in Celtic mythology, mysticism and the occult, Irish nationalism, Irish, British and European cultural life, his loves, family relations, social milieu, family life, the importance of Lady Augusta Gregory, and his relation to Modernist writers. We’ll consider his complex attitudes to standards of aesthetic value, social class, and the role of ‘sprezzatura’ in both poetic form and gatekeeping of aesthetics. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>This in-college day one-day course examines the final two decades of Yeats’ career. Tracking the development of the poet chronologically, selecting the greatest poems from each collection in turn, we shall discover the variety of his artistic output: modernist , elegist, symbolist, love poet, lyric poet, and political poet. </p><p>The course spans the years 1915-1939, examining his final seven collections of poetry: <em>The Wild Swans at Coole </em>(1917 and 1919), <em>Michael Robartes and the Dancer </em>(1921), <em>The Tower </em>(1928), <em>The Winding Stair and Other Poems </em>(1933), <em>Parnell’s Funeral and Other Poems</em> (1935) <em>New Po</em><em>ems </em>(1938), and <em>Last Poems </em>(1939).</p><p>We shall consider Yeats’s complex and ambivalent response to the Easter Rising and Irish radical political figures, his involvement in the Irish senate and the ways his public duties are depicted in in his poems, such as ‘Among Schoolchildren’. Examining his position as a leading figure of the Irish Renaissance, we’ll debate his views of setting cultural standards in poems such as ‘In Memory of Major Robert Gregory’, and the later, ‘The Municipal Gallery Revisited’ as well as the Coole Park poems. We’ll move to consider the private and domestic aspects of Yeats as a father in ‘A Prayer for my Daughter’ as well as consider his fears of ageing and loss of creative and personal potency in the collection <em>Parnell’s Funeral and Other Poems</em> as well as the late ‘The Circus Animal’s Desertion’. We shall explore the ways his collection <em>The Tower</em> intersects with <em>The Winding Stair and Other Poems</em>, and consider outstanding poems such as ‘Sailing to Byzantium’ and ‘The Second Coming’. In studying these texts we will cover some important concepts of poetry, including intertextuality, intratextuality, literary tradition, palimpsest, self-reflexivity, scansion and versification. </p><p>• Appreciate the challenges and rewards of the varied poetic forms Yeats uses<br/>• Understand how Yeats used these forms to depict individual and collective experiences at a particular time in the early twentieth century<br/>• Identify the ways Yeats continued to experiment throughout his career<br/>• Discuss the relevance of Yeats’ engagement with folklore, politics, national identity, Romantic and Aesthetic writing, </p><p>Some experience of the study of poetry would be useful but anyone with an interest in Yeats is welcome.<br/><br/>Learners will need to have an enthusiasm for poetry, an open-mindedness towards different approaches to interpretation, and a willingness to listen to the views of others. </p><p>There will be a mixture of tutor presentation and small-group and whole-class discussion. We will study key poems from each collection. </p><p>A familiarity with the texts is helpful but not a requirement. Key poems will be provided in advance of the class.</p><p>We will select poems from the following: </p><p>WB Yeats, <em>Poetry</em>, ed. Daniel Albright (Everyman Classics)</p><p> </p><p>Key poems will be provided in advance of the class by the tutor.</p><p> </p><p>Look for other Poetry courses in our Literature programme under History, Culture and Humanities/Literature/Poetry at www.citylit.ac.uk.</p>LiteraturePoetryvirtual556945HLT388NONESun10/05/2610:30 - 16:3010:3016:301 session1One-off onlyDaytimeWeekendKSKeeley StreetAlexander Fairbairn-DixonBeginners, Some experience, Advanced, Suitable for allNo longer available2026-05-10T00:00:00+00:00May 2026Culture, history & humanities6969The Poetry of W.B. Yeats: later poems, 1919-1939the-poetry-of-w-b-yeats-later-poems-1919-1939/hlt388-2526<p>This in-college day one-day course examines the final two decades of Yeats’ career. Tracking the development of the poet chronologically, selecting the greatest poems from each collection in turn, we shall discover the variety of his artistic output: modernist , elegist, symbolist, love poet, lyric poet, and political poet. </p>0015-FullStillOpen|2026-05-10 00:00:00<p>The course explores the development of Yeats’s poetic career from his late middle to late periods, considering his poems in relation to important contexts. We shall examine Yeats’ enduring interest in Celtic mythology, mysticism and the occult, Irish nationalism, Irish, British and European cultural life, his loves, family relations, social milieu, family life, the importance of Lady Augusta Gregory, and his relation to Modernist writers. We’ll consider his complex attitudes to standards of aesthetic value, social class, and the role of ‘sprezzatura’ in both poetic form and gatekeeping of aesthetics. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>This in-college day one-day course examines the final two decades of Yeats’ career. Tracking the development of the poet chronologically, selecting the greatest poems from each collection in turn, we shall discover the variety of his artistic output: modernist , elegist, symbolist, love poet, lyric poet, and political poet. </p><p>The course spans the years 1915-1939, examining his final seven collections of poetry: <em>The Wild Swans at Coole </em>(1917 and 1919), <em>Michael Robartes and the Dancer </em>(1921), <em>The Tower </em>(1928), <em>The Winding Stair and Other Poems </em>(1933), <em>Parnell’s Funeral and Other Poems</em> (1935) <em>New Po</em><em>ems </em>(1938), and <em>Last Poems </em>(1939).</p><p>We shall consider Yeats’s complex and ambivalent response to the Easter Rising and Irish radical political figures, his involvement in the Irish senate and the ways his public duties are depicted in in his poems, such as ‘Among Schoolchildren’. Examining his position as a leading figure of the Irish Renaissance, we’ll debate his views of setting cultural standards in poems such as ‘In Memory of Major Robert Gregory’, and the later, ‘The Municipal Gallery Revisited’ as well as the Coole Park poems. We’ll move to consider the private and domestic aspects of Yeats as a father in ‘A Prayer for my Daughter’ as well as consider his fears of ageing and loss of creative and personal potency in the collection <em>Parnell’s Funeral and Other Poems</em> as well as the late ‘The Circus Animal’s Desertion’. We shall explore the ways his collection <em>The Tower</em> intersects with <em>The Winding Stair and Other Poems</em>, and consider outstanding poems such as ‘Sailing to Byzantium’ and ‘The Second Coming’. In studying these texts we will cover some important concepts of poetry, including intertextuality, intratextuality, literary tradition, palimpsest, self-reflexivity, scansion and versification. </p><p>• Appreciate the challenges and rewards of the varied poetic forms Yeats uses<br/>• Understand how Yeats used these forms to depict individual and collective experiences at a particular time in the early twentieth century<br/>• Identify the ways Yeats continued to experiment throughout his career<br/>• Discuss the relevance of Yeats’ engagement with folklore, politics, national identity, Romantic and Aesthetic writing, </p><p>Some experience of the study of poetry would be useful but anyone with an interest in Yeats is welcome.<br/><br/>Learners will need to have an enthusiasm for poetry, an open-mindedness towards different approaches to interpretation, and a willingness to listen to the views of others. </p><p>There will be a mixture of tutor presentation and small-group and whole-class discussion. We will study key poems from each collection. </p><p>A familiarity with the texts is helpful but not a requirement. Key poems will be provided in advance of the class.</p><p>We will select poems from the following: </p><p>WB Yeats, <em>Poetry</em>, ed. Daniel Albright (Everyman Classics)</p><p> </p><p>Key poems will be provided in advance of the class by the tutor.</p><p> </p><p>Look for other Poetry courses in our Literature programme under History, Culture and Humanities/Literature/Poetry at www.citylit.ac.uk.</p>LiteraturePoetryconfigurable
11901187Poetryhttps://www.citylit.ac.uk/courses/humanities/literature/poetry1/2/285/1177/1187/11901/Courses/Culture, history & humanities/Literature/Poetry
