Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
A Harvard Classics professor and celebrated "Dylan-ologist" expands on his popular seminar in this intriguing meditation on the cultural significance of Bob Dylan--recipient of the 2016 Nobel Prize for Literature.
In his wildly popular freshman seminar on Bob Dylan--affectionately dubbed "Dylan 101"--Professor Richard Thomas is introducing a new generation of fans and scholars to the revered bard's work. A testament to the ongoing importance and appeal of Bob Dylan, Thomas's class incites lively debates on diverse social and political issues, such as sexism in "Just Like a Woman," and introduces students to the eclectic literary references in Dylan's work.
Growing out of his class, Why Bob Dylan Matters celebrates Dylan's genius as it explores his music within the context of current events and modern popular culture. Thomas considers the influences on Dylan's creativity, analyzing the artist and his work, including his memoir, through the lens of western literature and in the tradition of classical poets such as Homer.
Asking us to reflect on the question, "What makes a classic?," Thomas offers an eloquent argument for Dylan's modern relevance and passionately defends his 2016 Nobel Prize, maintaining that Dylan is indeed a poet for the ages on the level of T. S. Eliot or Virgil. Throughout, Thomas decodes and interprets Dylan's lyrics, illuminating their meaning for long-time Dylan lovers and for a new audience just discovering his genius.
With depth and clarity, Why Bob Dylan Matters illuminates one of the most influential artists of our time and definitively makes the case for his lasting cultural significance.
Synopsis
"The coolest class on campus" - The New York Times
When the Nobel Prize for Literature was awarded to Bob Dylan in 2016, a debate raged. Some celebrated, while many others questioned the choice. How could the world's most prestigious book prize be awarded to a famously cantankerous singer-songwriter who wouldn't even deign to attend the medal ceremony?
In Why Bob Dylan Matters, Harvard Professor Richard F. Thomas answers this question with magisterial erudition. A world expert on Classical poetry, Thomas was initially ridiculed by his colleagues for teaching a course on Bob Dylan alongside his traditional seminars on Homer, Virgil, and Ovid. Dylan's Nobel Prize brought him vindication, and he immediately found himself thrust into the spotlight as a leading academic voice in all matters Dylanological. Today, through his wildly popular Dylan seminar--affectionately dubbed "Dylan 101"--Thomas is introducing a new generation of fans and scholars to the revered bard's work.
This witty, personal volume is a distillation of Thomas's famous course, and makes a compelling case for moving Dylan out of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and into the pantheon of Classical poets. Asking us to reflect on the question, "What makes a classic?," Thomas offers an eloquent argument for Dylan's modern relevance, while interpreting and decoding Dylan's lyrics for readers. The most original and compelling volume on Dylan in decades, Why Bob Dylan Matters will illuminate Dylan's work for the Dylan neophyte and the seasoned fanatic alike. You'll never think about Bob Dylan in the same way again.