Yeatsian

1 9.9

A style that is like William Butler Yeats's writing, often romantic and full of symbols and magic

adjective
/ˈjeɪtsiən/

Literature

: yeatsiano

The poet's latest work has a distinctly Yeatsian quality, reminiscent of his rich imagery and deep themes.

Examples

A Yeatsian couplet in golden franglais.

My Old Lady (2014)
But there is no Yeatsian negotiation of the difference between the incapacities of age and the vitality of the young in one another's arms, dying generations though these might be, and certainly no Yeatsian sense of the consolations or sublimities of either state.

Academic text (1991)
Irish-American Catholic scholars never held the Yeatsian or A.E.-style "crystallization" theory attributed to them.

Academic text (1990)
But there is no Yeatsian negotiation of the difference between the incapacities of age and the vitality of the young in one another's arms, dying generations though these might be, and certainly no Yeatsian sense of the consolations or sublimities of either state.

Academic text (1991)
Her writing style is Yeatsian, capturing the mystical elements similar to those found in Yeats' poems.
Many critics noted the Yeatsian themes of love and nature woven throughout the collection.

Surface Forms

Yeatsian positive

Morphology

Yeatsian = Yeats (transparent) = Yeats + ian

Formed by adding the adjectival suffix '-ian' to the name Yeats; learners who recognize the name will readily infer 'relating to Yeats'.

Etymology

Yeatsian comes from the Irish poet Yeats and the ending -ian, which means 'related to' or 'in the style of'. So, something called Yeatsian has the mood, symbols, and mystical or Irish-romantic qualities like those in William Butler Yeats's poetry.