예이츠는 블레이크, 셀리, 오노레 발자크같은 작가들의 작품을 읽음으로써 그의 시적 창작에 영감을 받았을 뿐만 아니라 그의 세계령 사상 형성의 이론적 배 경으로 삼고 있다. 예이츠는 블레이크의 예언시를 편집하면서 자신의 신비종교에 관한 관심을 강화시켰고, 셸리에게서는 세계령을 문학으로 승화시킬 수 있는 가능성을 발견 했으며, 발자크로부터는 인간의 의지가 세계령의 기본이 된다는 것을 인식했다.

Yeats reads Romantic poets such as Blake, Shelley and Honoré de Balzac for his poetic aspiration and to formulate his concepts of World Soul and of his occultism. Yeats invents Blake’s image as a Kabbalist and magician, inspired partly by his belief that his esoteric approach to Blake’s prophetic works is to aid in their elucidation, with his interest in the mysticism to understand Blake’s prophetic books. Yeats claims that Shelley could be gainfully employed to demonstrate the literary potential of the World Soul. Besides, he also admits that Balzac establishes the human will as a force that is vital and invisible, though tangible, which is the most relevant to his World Soul belief.

I. Introduction
II. Blake
III. Shelley
IV. Honoré de Balzac
V. Conclusion
Works cited

• Jooseong Kim(professor at English Department, Dankook University) | 김주성