Life is inseparable from art. That is part of the reason we at The Stoneslide Corrective so closely study the circumstances around the composition of great works of art through our Writers at Work series.
William Butler Yeats had a life rich in event and literary production. He was deeply involved in politics, founded a successful theater, and led a literary movement. Here we study how, amidst political upheaval, romantic turmoil, and personal disappointments, he manages to focus the might of his intellect and compose the powerful first lines of “A Dialogue of Self and Soul.”
The Stoneslide Corrective occasionally studies early drafts of writings, in order to learn, to instruct, to grow, and sometimes in order to explore for the sheer enjoyment of compositional exploration. Consulting the work of scholars, archivists, biographers, librarians, private foundations and repositories, and, when appropriate, consulting the writers themselves, we re-create the process through which a work was brought into being, often including the many drafts writers go through.
Note: All historical work is verified by HistoriRight, Inc.
Unless you’re at church, temple, mosque, or a court proceeding, do feel free to turn up the volume of the device you’re using to read this (except your brain, of course; please don’t turn up that device’s volume).
Watch other episodes of Writers at Work:
