The Secret Rose cover

The Secret Rose

Rating 4.0
Word count
116K words
Chapters
12

Tags

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.The Secret Rose by W. B. YeatsAuthor: Yeats, W. B. (William Butler), 1865-1939,Language: English, Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature, Release Date: May 1, 2004

Editor's review

The Secret Rose is a prose work by W. B. Yeats, collecting stories with a mystical and Irish folkloric flavor that mirror the world of his poetry. The book often features images such as the rose, magic, hermits, and legendary figures; its language is crafted and its atmosphere rich, showing Yeats's enduring interest in mysticism, national legend, and spiritual symbolism. It is less a tightly plotted novel than symbolic narrative prose, suited to slow reading and repeated savoring. For readers studying the development of Yeats's work, this book helps explain the sources of his poetic imagery; for general readers, it is a light entry into Irish literature and mystical tradition. This is a Project Gutenberg public-domain eBook; reading it alongside the author's biography and Irish cultural background is recommended.

Who it's for

A good fit for

  • Literary readers interested in Yeats's poetry and symbolic system
  • Readers who want to learn about Irish folklore and mystical tradition
  • Those who enjoy atmospheric, symbolic prose narrative
  • Students studying mystical writing in English literature

Not a good fit for

  • Readers who prefer strong plots and fast-paced stories
  • Beginners who need modern annotations and systematic introductions

Reading tips

  1. Read one piece through first, then return to its images and symbolic threads.
  2. Read alongside selected Yeats poems to compare the use of images such as the rose.
  3. Briefly look up Irish myth and mystical background before reading to lower the threshold.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

Contents

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5
  6. 6
  7. 7
  8. 8
  9. 9
  10. 10
  11. 11
  12. 12

FAQ

Is this book a poetry collection by Yeats?
No, it is a prose narrative work with mystical and Irish legendary color. It is closely related to the symbolic images in his poetry, but its genre is prose, and reading expectations should be distinguished from those for a poetry collection.
Can I understand it without a background in mysticism?
You can read it, but understanding will be reduced. The book involves symbols such as the rose, magic, and hermits. Knowing Yeats's interest in mysticism and Irish folklore beforehand makes it easier to grasp the meanings behind the text.
Is this electronic version suitable for academic citation?
This is a Project Gutenberg public-domain electronic text, usable for general reading and preliminary reference, but it usually contains no textual notes or modern annotations. For formal academic citation, check an authoritative edition.

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About the author

William Butler Yeats (1865–1939) was an Irish poet and playwright and a major figure in twentieth-century English-language literature. The collection holds thirty-eight of his works, including poetry collections, prose and plays, among them Responsibilities, and other poems, The Wind Among the Reeds, The Wild Swans at Coole, The Celtic Twilight, The Trembling of the Veil, and the multi-volume The Collected Works in Verse and Prose of William Butler Yeats. His verse is concise and musical, often drawing on Irish myth, folklore and Celtic culture, and blending symbolism and reflection with the lyric tradition; his style moved from an early romantic and aesthetic manner toward a later, firmer and more austere voice. His writing is closely associated with the Irish literary revival and has deeply influenced modern English poetry. Public information is limited, and this introduction is based mainly on the works held in the collection.