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English, Literature, and Modern Languages
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Excerpt (3.7 MB)
Publisher's Note
This excerpt of Bruce Springsteen: American Poet and Prophet (pp. 1-21) by Donald L. Deardorff, 2013, was reproduced by permission of Rowman & Littlefield.
All rights reserved. Please contact the publisher for permission to copy, distribute or reprint.
Description
Like other major musical artists, Bruce Springsteen’s work has reflected, revealed, and reacted to modern American realities over the course of his forty-year career.
Since releasing his first record in 1973, Springsteen has sold more than a hundred million albums worldwide, played thousands of concerts, and won Grammy, Golden Globe, Emmy, and Academy awards. More importantly, however, he is one of the few twentieth-century singer-songwriters to serve as the voice of his generation, a defining artist whose works reflect the values, dreams, and concerns of many Americans. In Bruce Springsteen: American Poet and Prophet, Donald L. Deardorff II explores the works of “The Boss,” defining the exact nature of Springsteen’s cultural influence.
With the release of seventeen studio albums, Springsteen’s influence and popularity spans multiple generations. Deardorff classifies and explains Springsteen’s remarkable reception as it evolved from small beginnings in the Jersey shore bars of the 1970s to worldwide fame today. This book thoughtfully considers the trenchant commentary Springsteen’s albums make on the mythology of the American Dream, working-class concerns, the changing character of American masculinity, the relationship between Americans and their government, the importance of social justice, and the evocation of an American spirit.
Bruce Springsteen: American Poet and Prophet will appeal to more than just Springsteen fans. It describes Springsteen as an apt critic of his own culture, whose music paints literary portraits that uncover the realities of an American society constantly evolving, while striving toward its own betterment.
Listen to an interview of Dr. Deardorff on the New Books Network.
ISBN
9780810884267
Keywords
Bruce Springsteen
Publication Date
12-1-2013
Publisher
The Scarecrow Press, Inc.
City
Lanham, MD
Disciplines
Arts and Humanities | Music
Recommended Citation
Deardorff, Donald L. II, "Bruce Springsteen: American Poet and Prophet" (2013). Faculty Books. 162.
https://digitalcommons.cedarville.edu/faculty_books/162
