My anthology continues to sell & the critics get more &…
““My anthology continues to sell & the critics get more & more angry. When I excluded Wilfred Owen, whom I consider unworthy of the poets' corner of a country newspaper, I did not know I was excluding a revered sandwich-board Man of the revolution & that some body has put his worst & most famous poem in a glass-case in the British Museum-- however if I had known it I would have excluded him just the same. He is all blood, dirt & sucked sugar stick (look at the selection in Faber's Anthology-- he calls poets 'bards,' a girl a 'maid,' & talks about 'Titanic wars'). There is every excuse for him but none for those who like him. . . .(from a letter of December 26, 1936, in Letters on Poetry from W. B. Yeats to Dorothy Wellesley, p. 124).””
About This Quote
This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.
Yeats criticizes a poet he deems unworthy, expressing frustration with literary criticism and canon formation.
In simple terms: He doubts the poet’s merit and resents critical praise.
Key Takeaway
Question the authority of literary gatekeepers.
Themes
criticism
literature
authority
canon
Mood
critical
skeptical
reflective
Type
literary
critical
philosophical
When to use this quote
- publishing decisions
- anthology curation
- academic debate
Key Concepts
cultural criticism
subjectivity
Questions to Reflect On
- Should artistic value be judged by personal taste?
- How do gatekeepers influence cultural memory?
A Different Perspective
His harsh tone may reflect personal bias rather than objective assessment.