Blues & the poetic spirit / Paul Garon ; with a preface by Franklin Rosemont.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Garon, Paul, 1942- author.

Contributor:

Rosemont, Franklin, writer of preface.

Joanna Banks Collection of African American Books (University of Pennsylvania)

Series:

Da Capo paperback

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Blues (Music)--History and criticism.

Blues (Music).

Blues (Music)--Poetry.

Genre:

Criticism, interpretation, etc.

Poetry.

Penn Provenance:

Banks, Joanna (donor) (Banks Collection copy)

Physical Description:

4 unnumbered pages, 178 pages : illustrations, portraits ; 22 cm.

Edition:

First Da Capo paperback edition.

Other Title:

Blues and the poetic spirit

Place of Publication:

New York : Da Capo Press, 1979.

Summary:

While much has been written about the sociological significance of the blues, this is a unique inquiry into the blues and the mind, a study of the blues as thought. Here, the subconscious power of the blues is examined from a poetic and psychological perspective, illuminating the blues' deepest creative sources and exploring its far-reaching influence and appeal. Like Surrealist poetry in particular, blues communicate through highly charged symbols of aggression and desire--eros, crime, magic, night, and drugs, among others. A close analysis of classic blues lyrics, along with a wealth of source material from Freud and James Frazer, to Breton and Marcuse, conveys the blues' major poetic function of spiritual revolt against repression. First published in 1975, Blues and the Poetic Spirit is a blues literature classic. This long-awaited new edition assesses developments in the blues since that time and outlines the social and political forces that continue to shape its evolution.

Contents:

The literature on the blues

Notes on the psychology of enjoyment

Whites versus blacks

Imagination, instincts, and reality. Eros ; Aggression ; Humour ; Travel ; Alcohol and drugs ; Male supremacy ; Liberation of women ; Night ; Animals ; Work ; The police and the church ; Crime ; Magic

Symbols, images, and the dream.

Notes:

Reprint of the edition published by Eddison Press, London, in series: Eddison blues books.

"Cover design by Joseph del Gaudio/Photo of Marion Williams by David Gahr."

Includes bibliographical references (pages 169-174) and index.

Local Notes:

Kislak Center Banks Collection copy presented to the Penn Libraries in 2018 by Joanna Banks.

ISBN:

0306801086

9780306801082

OCLC:

5101316