Reading the Beatles: Cultural Studies, Literary Criticism, and the Fab Four
, . . State Univ. of New York, $74.50 (249pp) ISBN 978-0-7914-6716-9
While John, Paul, George and Ringo have been (deservedly) deconstructed more than any other rock band, and an academic look at them is welcome, many of the observations made in this collection will leave fans asking, "So what?" In the opening essay, Penn State English professor Ian Marshall carefully explores the band's lyrics. He points out the confessional poetics of Lennon songs like "Nowhere Man," but isn't original when he compares that tune's themes of self-doubt to Thoreau's "mass of men [who] lead lives of quiet desperation." A more intriguing assertion is Marshall's point that
Reviewed on: 01/09/2006
Genre: Nonfiction
Hardcover - 249 pages - 978-0-7914-6715-2
Open Ebook - 263 pages - 978-1-4237-5614-9