Through his researches into Irish folklore, legend and myth, Yeats was attempting to discover a specifically Irish imagination and to create a movement in literature enriched by, and rooted in, a vital native tradition. This collection brings together all of Yeats's published prose writings on the subject, and for the first time these essays, introductions and sketches are presented chronologically, enabling the reader to perceive how Yeats's analysis develops, embracing ideas and visions of increasing psychological and philosophical complexity.
