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The Cambridge Companion to Bob Dylan (Cambridge Companions to American Studies) |  | Creator: Kevin J. H. Dettmar
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Category: Book
List Price: $24.99
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Seller: sherbiebooks
Rating:  24 reviews
Sales Rank: 170973
Media: Paperback
Edition: 1
Pages: 204
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 8.9 x 6 x 0.3
ISBN: 052171494X
Dewey Decimal Number: 782.42164092
EAN: 9780521714945
ASIN: 052171494X
Publication Date: April 20, 2009
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| • | ISBN13: 9780521714945 | | • | Condition: NEW | | • | Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark. |
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Product Description
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.
Book Description
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. 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.
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 24
 Dylan in the classroom August 27, 2009
M. A. Filippelli (Roseville, CA, US)
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
In the book The Cambridge Companion to Bob Dylan (Cambridge Companions to American Studies) there isn't anything new here for the Dylanologist. There is some historical information on Dylan in this companion but nothing new for the Dylan follower.
What the Cambridge Companion to Bob Dylan offers is a kind of explanation of Dylan and why his music stands the test of time. This book is written like a text book with a kind high brow flair. It compares Dylan to several poets and other figures throughout history. The authors make several comparisons and then try to justify these comparisons by pointing out similarities and they actually do a good job of justifying their comparisons. I that I think Dylan would scoff at these comparisons though. The authors use a kind of high society thespian kind of approach to explain Dylan that misses the mark somewhat in this section.
The Cambridge Companion to Bob Dylan is also mostly made up of essays chronicling his nearly 50 years in the music business. The essays are pretty good. They detailed snapshots in time of career that has taken so many interesting turns.
For this reviewer Dylan isn't a poet nor a folk singer or a Country artist, he's just Dylan one of the most lyrically gifted artists of our time. I don't think you can read about him and truly grasp the essence of Dylan.
The Cambridge Companion to Bob Dylan (Cambridge Companions to American Studies) is really written for the twenty-something college student trying to get an idea of who Bob Dylan is and what he's about. The essays are good; still to this reviewer the best way to learn Dylan is to sit and listen to his words and music and let it sink in.
 Great Dylan book July 28, 2009
Jim Z
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
Very partial to both Dylan's records , and books written about him. Truly one of the lyrical masters of any decade. Some of the pieces try a little too hard to be profound and unique , but all in all a great read. Couldn't read it all in one sitting , but spread out over a few days it left a sense of reward when finished.
 It works on several levels July 18, 2009
Gregory Dodge (Kingston, NY USA)
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
As a Bob Dylan book-a-holic, the reviews for this book left me wondering whether this would be a worthwhile addition. I have a problem with the idea of texbook, harvard, and also edited with different writers. While not in the highest echelon of Dylan books, it is a worthwhile addition to my collection with interesting insights, good readability, and a book you can read more than once. Its hardly definitive but definitely interesting. I love the Isis compilations, which are more varied in quality and topic, and more interesting to me. Likewide, anything by Paul Williams, but specifically in this genre Watching the river flow.
 get a grip, everyone! July 14, 2009
The Queen of Noirs (Santa Clara, CA USA)
0 out of 3 found this review helpful
OK guys. I am not a Dylanologist. I grew up with his music, I have always listened, sometimes distractedly and sometimes intently, to his music. I read a few books, including Mr Hadju's hatchet job and I've seen the movies. And here is what I am going to say: Mr Dylan is like a cat. He needs you, because someone has to buy his tickets and albums for him to pay his bills. But he doesn't necessarily want you, and he couldn't care less about what you think. These essays are almost an exercise in the ridiculous. The essayist seem to thing that there is logic in the details and if you squint hard enough you can see the face of god. Or something like that. A significant number of them delve into painful details about things such as set lists from concerts played during the Rolling Thunder Review back in 1976 and What It All Means. Many more wring their collective hands about plagiarism...and do their best to absolve the Master of his crime. Dude, if Bob sings "Shake, Shake Mama" it's probably plagiarizing something someone said or wrote somewhere once. How can you avoid it? If you sing about love, you're going to say "Baby, I love you" and man alive! Someone said that before!!
Finally, why is it that when folks write about Bob Dylan, they feel compelled to incessantly quote his lyrics? I am reminded of the PowerPuff Girls cartoon where the entire dialog was composed of Beatles lyrics. Get your own thoughts, and stop plagiarizing!
In summary, save your money. One star because the essay on religion by Spargo and Ream made me think for a moment. Buy a couple of the albums from various decades, listen and enjoy. Weave your own BobStory if you need to, and keep it to yourself.
Fair collection of essays -- some very good, others so-so... July 7, 2009
C. Williamson (USA)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
Though it's nice to see Bob receiving the Cambridge Companion treatment, I was wondering what might be said that hasn't already been covered in my five-foot plus shelf of Dylan biographies, analyses, and compendiums. As it turns out, not a whole lot. This collection of essays should, however, make a decent text for a college course in Dylan, since it covers all the major aspects of his work and career in a brisk albeit surface-like manner. Unsurprisingly, the liveliest writing comes from music critics, while the stodgier prose is the result of academics, with a few exceptions. There were, however, enough new insights into Dylan and his work to make me go back to some of the recordings and listen with fresh ears. A stronger editorial hand might have spared us numerous repetitive passages in the different essays (many factual aspects of Dylan's career are reported in a similar manner in several of the essays), and I was surprised to find so many typos and other errors in a work from Cambridge University Press. Standards slipping, chaps? I hope these will be corrected in any future printings. For newcomers to Dylan's work, this is a good enough introduction, but for those of us who've read many volumes on the Bobster, there's nothing flashingly brilliant here. Recommended for beginners and completists.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 24
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