Mythologies

As a collection of three of Yeats' pamphlet-esque collections of Irish folklore - Celtic Twilight, Secret Rose and Stories of Red Hanrahan - this seems like it should be great. But a weird thing happened on the way to its collection: Yeats grew up. As happens to many of us, as he matured Yeats grew more conservative; he quit the Golden Dawn, the occult society, and sidled towards more conventional religion. By the time he put this collection together, he was embarrassed by some of its more flowery ideas, and the end result is that he edited all the fun out of it. See my review of Celtic Twilight, and then consider this: neither of the quotes in that review made it into this book.

It's not worthless; Yeats collecting Irish folklore will show more never be worthless. But the original is exhilarating, bursting with ideas; this is more stodgy. It's just not as cool. show less

1.CONTENTS: The Celtic Twilight -- The Secret Rose -- Stories of Red Hanrahan -- Rosa Alchemica -- The Tables of the Law -- The Adoration of the Maji -- Per Amica Silentia Lunae.

2. Yeats traveled all over Ireland in search of authentic folklore and folk traditions, and many of the pieces are introduced with engaging accounts of the storytellers who shared the legends that had been passed down through their families. Yeats's fascination with the occult infuses several of the stories, and Mythologies includes a section of essays presenting the poet's speculations on the supernatural, as well as his theories about Irish mysticism.

Such recent bestsellers as How the Irish Saved Civilization and Angela's Ashes demonstrate the popularity of show more books about the Irish and Ireland. Mythologies will appeal to this audience -- and to every adult and child who enjoys the magical power of a well-told tale.
Source: Publisher show less