Bob Dylan Lyrics as Literature

This course will compare Bob Dylan song lyrics (and music videos) with the works of literary greats, like Homer and Dante, Rimbaud and Verlaine, Emily Dickenson, T.S. Eliot, Sylvia Plath, and Allen Ginsberg. Discussion will center on matching Dylan songs with these authors’ major literary themes, including mythology, philosophy, politics, art, love and loss, good vs evil, and more. The course will help identify the writing approaches of Dylan and his literary influences, including literary modes, aims, constructs, and voices that contribute to common values and views on human nature. The course will conclude with a discussion of the definition of songs vs literature.

Will provide readings.

Matt Jones recently retired from a career in national media publishing, including books, magazines, and websites, creating content for companies from Better Homes and Gardens to Google. Jones previously taught college English and Literature at Seton Hall University and other NJ colleges.