Performed Literature: Words and Music by Bob DylanBob Dylan is not a poet. He is a singer-songwriter, a performing artist. The unit of his art, as collected and documented by his intended audience, is the live performance. Right now, no existing technological tool can give researchers ready access to his entire corpus of work. Revised from the author's Ph.D. dissertation (UC Berkeley, 1978) and again from its first edition (Indiana UP, 1982), Performed Literature develops a methodology for close analysis of verbal art that is heard, not seen, using as comparative examples 24 performances of 11 songs by Bob Dylan. The second edition adds a preface, two major appendices and one minor one, and a detailed index. |
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Page 10
The best of Dylan ' s protest songs not only draw the listener into interaction with
the song but also can make a responsive listener take action outside the song , to
change what is wrong . The songs of political protest that preceded Dylan ' s ...
The best of Dylan ' s protest songs not only draw the listener into interaction with
the song but also can make a responsive listener take action outside the song , to
change what is wrong . The songs of political protest that preceded Dylan ' s ...
Page 18
The ladder image stays in the background of a listener ' s response to that “ roar
of a wave , ” however . Images keep piling up ; the tidal wave is closely linked to
the thunder just before it , which likewise roars . Each thirdstanza line begins , “ I
...
The ladder image stays in the background of a listener ' s response to that “ roar
of a wave , ” however . Images keep piling up ; the tidal wave is closely linked to
the thunder just before it , which likewise roars . Each thirdstanza line begins , “ I
...
Page 111
leaves the listener at a high pitch of anticipation , not finality . The song need not
be over ; each listener can resolve in her own way the ominous sentiments
expressed by the minor chords of Babe ' s romantic expectations . A listener is
aided ...
leaves the listener at a high pitch of anticipation , not finality . The song need not
be over ; each listener can resolve in her own way the ominous sentiments
expressed by the minor chords of Babe ' s romantic expectations . A listener is
aided ...
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aesthetic ain't album alliteration appear artistic audience Babe Baby Band beat becomes begins Blues Bob Dylan breaks chords closing comes concert continues contrast couplet create culture drums Dylan's voice effect emotional example express eyes fall feel female final follow four fourth give guitar hard harmonica Idiot Wind imagery instrumental Isis it's Italy John lady lead leave less listener live Lonely looking mark meaning measures Miss move narrator narrator's never notes opening oppositions organ outtake patterns performance phrase pitch plays poetic rain recorded refer refrain released repeated response rhyme rock Rolling Stone sad-eyed scene seems sense shift Side sings song song's sound stands stanza structure studio suggests sung tell third throughout tradition understand verse vocal voice Warner Bros woman words York