society in 1965 in this one song. For Dylan’s song to convey so much, the techniques and literary messages might not be recognized if we “read” the song just once. “He’s incorporating this a-thousand-year history into songs,” noted Dr. Schulte. “Off the top of my head, I would bet that Shakespeare and Dylan are the two writers who have the most words and phrases that have entered into regular usage.” He also added that the students that were “playfully critical” of him viewing Dylan’s songs as poetry actually later found one of Dylan’s songs that he chose for the class “challenging” to interpret. Dr. Schulte’s answer may eliminate our doubts about considering lyrics as literature, yet it also raises another question: if songwriting can be considered literature, then why not The Beatles, David Bowie or Radiohead, singers and bands that also have poetic lyrics? The Beatles were the first popular musicians who “have invited their listeners to actually read their texts as poems,” said Dr. Schulte. “And Leonard Cohen is a tremendous wordsmith. If there is another person to win the Nobel Prize, I would have voted for him.” Yet, as Schulte pointed out, even Cohen himself said, “[the award for Bob Dylan] is like pinning a medal on Mount Everest for being the highest mountain.” Dylan being the 2016 Nobel Literature Laureate is indeed unconventional and unexpected. Yet, it is time for a new branch of the laurel tree. If Dylan’s songs are viewed as important and good as Shakespeare’s plays as literature, maybe it is time to make the definition of literature open to negotiation. “The Nobel Prize has given a type of legitimacy to studying Dylan’s songs academically,” Dr. Schulte remarked. As the olive tree starts to sprout a new branch, the Academy could produce more literature buds before any new announcements. Remember, even Shakespeare was a part of the popular culture of his time.
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The English Department of Fu Jen University offers a graduate class only about Bob Dylan. Dr. Schulte said, “We may be the only graduate school that does.” If you are interested, keep an eye on our department schedule.
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