Bob Dylan Lyrics versus the Academics

To the hope of many and the disgust of some, a group of academics has, from 1996 onwards, yearly sent in a Nobel Prize nomination for Bob Dylan, nominating him to be rewarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. Thirteen years later, Dylan has not yet received the Nobel; Bob Dylan could not care less. In contrast to Bob Dylan''s never-ending stoicism, however, the nomination revived the ongoing Dylan debate about Dylan''s canonical status in the academic world; Does Bob Dylan deserve the Nobel Prize in Literature? Is Bob Dylan''s art literature? Is Bob Dylan a poet? Is Bob Dylan high culture or mere pop culture? In the currently expanding field of literary Dylan Studies, there is the, logical, tendency to study Dylan''s songs from a textual perspective. In these analyses however, Dylan''s song lyrics are treated as mere words, text, entirely leaving his music out of the academic discussion. In this book, Frank Bond provides a critical look into the most prominent academic approaches to Dylan''s lyrics, and subsequently proposes a more productive and adequate analysis which also incorporates the musical elements of Dylan''s song lyrics.

Frank Bond (born October 14, 1987) is a Dutch singer-songwriter, and the lead singer of indie-folk band AlascA. He studied English Literature and Literary Sciences at the University of Amsterdam, obtaining his Master of Arts Degree in 2009. (Author Photo by Koos Breukel)