This anthology investigates the evolution and defining characteristics of modern poetic expression during the early twentieth century. W. B. Yeats, a central figure in the Irish Literary Revival and a Nobel laureate, curates this selection to reflect the shifting aesthetic values of the era. By compiling works from 1892 to 1935, Yeats provides a framework for understanding the transition from Victorian sensibilities to the experimental techniques of the modernist movement.

Experts frequently highlight this volume as a significant, albeit idiosyncratic, reflection of Yeats's personal literary preferences and biases. Readers often note that the collection serves as a primary source for understanding the critical landscape of the period rather than a purely objective survey of the era's poetry.