PEL Presents (sub)Text: Slouching Towards Bethlehem in W.B. Yeats’ “The Second Coming”: Part 2

Sep 27, 2020, 10:00 AM

Wes and Erin continue their discussion of W.B. Yeats’ "The Second Coming." In Part 1, they analyzed the first stanza of the poem, in particular Yeats' use of "gyre"; the meaning of the phrases "things fall apart" and "the center cannot hold"; and the conflict between aristocratic and revolutionary values. In Part 2, they discuss -- with a little help from Nietzsche -- the anti-redemption of the second stanza, and the meaning of Yeats' vision of a "rough beast" slouching towards Bethlehem. 

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Thanks to Tyler Hislop for the audio editing on this episode.