Abstract

Traces Heaney's development from the political poetry of 'Wintering Out' and 'North', through the key turning point poems 'Exposure' and 'Casualty' - where the individualised poet envisages himself becoming receptive to less easily defined, more mysterious influences - to the 'Glanmore Sonnets' in 'Field Work', arguing that these poems reflect a new fascination with the imagination and with forces than transcend political concerns.