The title Why Dylan Matters, professor Richard F. Thomas’ recent contribution to the ever-expanding field of Dylanology, is perhaps a bit of a misnomer. Thomas is a classicist who teaches a Harvard course on the relationship between Bob Dylan and Greek and Roman poetry. His latest book, released as part of the post-Nobel Prize win-related explosion of Dylan textual paraphernalia, ultimately fails to answer its own question. Readers who reach its end will probably have enjoyed the ride, but have no clearer grasp on why Dylan is important.
Thomas’ thesis is engaging—that Dylan’s incorporation of intertextual material in his lyrics harks back to age-old poetic traditions. He weaves a compelling narrative that includes the young Robert Zimmerman’s membership of his High School Latin Club, to references of Thucydides in Dylan’s loosely autobiographical memoir, Chronicles: Volume One. He provides a wide range of close readings that convincingly show traces of Catullus and Homer, to name but two, in Dylan’s lyrics, and relates Dylan’s habit of quoting other folk and blues material in his songs to Virgil’s poetic borrowings.
Convincing as it is, Thomas’ arguments reflect an unpleasantly canonic trend in Dylan studies. The academic study of popular music is regularly touted as a nearly anti-establishment field that denies the sanctity of the Western canon (you know—Bach, Beethoven, Brahms and the boys) and affirms the value of studying all music. Dylan scholars have neatly sidestepped this musicological debate by trying to convince us that Dylan belongs in the literary canon. And true as it may be that Dylan writes lyrics of great poetic merit, the construction of canons has long been viewed as a problematic endeavour that privileges certain select voices and maintains dominant ideologies. The assumption that this book makes is that Dylan’s relationship with the classical literary canon automatically makes him important, and that’s an assumption that demands critical examination.
Rather, I would suggest that this book more accurately answers the question, ‘Why do the classics matter?’ or even, ‘Why do literary studies matter?’. Thomas writes as passionately about Ovid’s lyrics as he does Dylan’s, and his thesis convincingly shows how even the oldest of literature still resonates in today’s popular culture.
The book itself is comes in a beautifully presented small hardback edition. Ideological problems aside, it’s an enjoyable and engaging read—coming this close to Christmas, it would make the perfect gift for both the Dylan and Homer fans in your life.
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