The Cambridge Companion to Bob Dylan

A lively set of new essays on Dylan's work as a writer and composer and on his place in American culture.

Kevin J. H. Dettmar (Edited by)

9780521714945, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 19 February 2009

204 pages
22.7 x 15.2 x 1.2 cm, 0.34 kg

A towering figure in American culture and a global twentieth-century icon, Bob Dylan has been at the centre of American life for over forty years. The Cambridge Companion to Bob Dylan brings fresh insights into the imposing range of Dylan's creative output. The first Part approaches Dylan's output thematically, tracing the evolution of Dylan's writing and his engagement with American popular music, religion, politics, fame, and his work as a songwriter and performer. Essays in Part II analyse his landmark albums to examine the consummate artistry of Dylan's most accomplished studio releases. As a writer Dylan has courageously chronicled and interpreted many of the cultural upheavals in America since World War II. This book will be invaluable both as a guide for students of Dylan and twentieth-century culture, and for his fans, providing a set of new perspectives on a much-loved writer and composer.

Chronology
Introduction Kevin J. H. Dettmar
Part I. Perspectives: 1. Bob Dylan and the Anglo-American tradition David Yaffe
2. Bob Dylan and 'The Great Recession' Michael Denning
3. Bob Dylan as songwriter Anthony DeCurtis
4. Bob Dylan as performer Alan Light
5. Bob Dylan and collaboration Martin Jacobi
6. Bob Dylan and gender politics Barbara O'Dair
7. Bob Dylan and religion R. Clifton Spargo and Anne Ream
8. Bob Dylan and the Academy Lee Marshall
9. Bob Dylan as cultural icon David Shumway
Part II. Landmark Albums: 10. The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan (1963) Eric Bulson
11. Bringing It All Back Home (1965) Jean Tamarin
12. Highway 61 Revisited (1965) Robert Polito
13. Blonde on Blonde (1966) Michael Coyle and Debra Rae Cohen
14. The Basement Tapes (1967
1975) Alex Abramovich
15. Blood on the Tracks (1975) Carrie Brownstein
16. Infidels (1983) Jonathan Lethem
17. Love and Theft (2001) Eric Lott
Works cited.

Subject Areas: Literary studies: general [DSB], Rock & Pop music [AVGP], Music [AV]