| Bob Dylan(1941-)is a world-famous folk artist.His anti-war songs "Blowin’ in the Wind" and "Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door" recognized and loved by people all over the world,are still being sung these days.As the representation of American popular culture,his poems are characterized by folk culture,protest culture and mass culture.This dissertation discusses from three aspects: First of all,having absorbed elements of folk music and folklore from western folk culture,Dylan’s poetry innovates both the content and form of this cultural matrix,specificly reflected in the increase of self-consciousness and personal emotion writings,a large number of complex images and musical arrangements that break through the traditional way.Secondly,as a culture of protest,Dylan’s poetry resists the mainstream culture of the 1960 s in the United States,manifested in the protest against war,racism,and sexism.It embodies not only unique social and historical value,but also the poet’s strong sense of social responsibility.Thirdly,Dylan’s poetry,as a mass culture,has the characteristics of popularity and commerciality.This is because it is rooted in the folk and enjoys a broad mass base.At the same time,benefiting from the advertising and marketing by the behind-the-scenes team,his poetry is consumed in a commercial society.Due to its high ideological connotation and aesthetic value,it has been gradually absorbed by elite culture and become the mainstream of American popular culture. |
