Death of a Naturalist In this quote he parallels himself to Narcissus, a hunter in Greek Mythology who is cursed to fall in love with his own reflection by the goddess Nemesis after he shuns Echo, an Oread nymph. The reader can see that for a short time after his college experience, Heaney relies on only himself for inspiration. Eventually he realizes his mistake, and unlike Narcissus, is able to bring himself back to reality. Death of a Naturalist was received with mostly positive reviews and helped Heaney gain recognition on an international scale. Several of the poems had been published previously in pamphlets
Falling in Love With Hominids has grown to love and be fascinated by the human race over the intervening years. The paradox of people who are "capable simultaneously of such great good and such horrifying evil" runs throughout the stories brought together in the collection. This collection includes "The Easthound," a post-apocalyptic tale of humans turning into monsters that are hungry for flesh when they become adults. "Old Habits" tells the story of ghosts residing in a mall, brought together in the place where they died, who relive the moment of their deaths every day. One of the stories in this collection, "Blushing" is adaptation