"The Lake Isle of Innisfree" is one of Yeats's earlier poems and also one of his best known. It is perhaps so widely known due to its universal subject matter, that of the conflict between youth and aging, and the longing for emotional escape. Author William York Tindall, in his book W. B. Yeats, terms "The Lake Isle of Innisfree" "a vision of escape." However, some find the poem overly sentimental and prefer Yeats's later poems. F. R. Leavis, in his book New Bearings in English Poetry: A Study of the Contemporary Situation, cites a statement by Yeats regarding his early poetry:
I tried after the publication of The Wanderings of
Oisin to write of nothing but emotion, and in.....
This is a free excerpt of 120 words. This section contains 234 words. This
study guide contains 11,491 words (approx. 38 pages at 300
words per page).
Read the rest of this Literature Guide with our The Lake Isle of Innisfree Access Pass.
