SOURCE: Baker, Howard. “Domes of Byzantium.” The Southern Review 7, no. 3 (winter 1941): 639-52.
In the following essay, poet-scholar Baker examines the symbolism of Byzantium, suggesting that for Yeats, Byzantium “stands primarily for modes of expression in which conscious design supersedes natural florescence.” Baker maintains that Yeats uses the idea of Byzantium to argue that consciously-produced culture endures whereas nature-and ourselves-grow old and pass away.
This is a free excerpt of 65 words. There are 4,074 words (approx.
14 pages at 300 words per page) in the full critical essay.
Read the rest of this Criticism with our Sailing to Byzantium: Critical Essay by Howard Baker Access Pass.
