# WB Yeats & Phantasmagoria [Yeatsian Phantasmagoria](https://risenphoenix.wordpress.com/2005/11/27/yeatsian-phantasmagoria/) W.B. Yeats’ ideas about _phantasmagoria_ were linked to his interest in mysticism, the supernatural, and the blurred [[Boundaries]] between reality and the spiritual world. For Yeats, phantasmagoria referred to the shifting, dream-like visions or images that evoke a sense of the uncanny or [[Otherworldly]]. He saw these spectral images as expressions of deeper, unseen forces, which aligned with his [[Belief]] in the interconnectedness of the physical and spiritual realms. Yeats was influenced by occult practices and [[Symbolism]], and he believed that phantasmagoric visions could provide access to hidden truths, blending [[imagination]], mythology, and mysticism in his [[Poetry]] and thought. W. B. Yeats, one of the most celebrated poets of the 20th century, was an Irish writer known for his mastery of [[Symbolism]], exploration of Irish mythology, and deeply spiritual works. His [[Poetry]] evolved from early Romanticism and [[Nationalism]] to a more complex modernism, exploring themes of mysticism, [[Politics]], and the human condition. John Keats, the Romantic poet, introduced the idea of negative capacity to describe the capacity of a poet (or any artist) to remain in uncertainties, doubts, and mysteries without the need for logical explanations or resolutions. It reflects an ability to embrace complexity and [[Ambiguity]], valuing [[Intuition]] and [[imagination]] over reason. Yeats and Negative Capability While Yeats didn’t explicitly use the term “negative capability,” elements of the idea resonate in his work. Yeats often delved into contradictory and mystical experiences without seeking to resolve them logically. For example: • Symbolism: Yeats embraced symbols like the gyre, which embodies cyclical and opposing forces in history, suggesting a universe rich with contradictions. • Mysticism and Rationality: Yeats was deeply influenced by the occult and spiritualism, but he also applied intellectual rigour to construct theories, such as his [[Esoteric]] vision in A Vision. • Ambiguity in Art: Poems like The Second Coming and Byzantium thrive on their open-endedness, resisting easy interpretation and inviting the reader into a realm of mystery and multiple meanings. Yeats’s embrace of paradox and his willingness to confront life’s mysteries without resolving them align with Keats’s notion of negative capability, even if Yeats framed his explorations in his unique, symbolic language. Would you like me to analyse a specific poem of Yeats in this context? --- `Concepts:` `Knowledge Base:`