Marjorie Howes' study is the first sustained attempt to examine Yeats' continuous search for political origins and cultural traditions through the most recent work in postcolonial theory. She explores the complex, often contradictory ways Yeats' politics are refracted through his writing. Yeats' enthusiastic advocacy of the concept of nationality clashed with his distaste for the dominant and exclusive forms of Irish identity surrounding him. Her study will be of interest to all interested in Irish studies, postcolonial theory, and the relationship between nationalism and sexuality.