This interdisciplinary volume enters the scholarly conversation about Bruce Springsteen at the moment when he has reinforced his status of global superstar and achieved the status of social critic. Covering musical and cultural developments, chapters primarily consider work Springsteen has released since 9/11—that is, released during a period of continued global unrest, economic upheaval, and social change—under the headings Politics, Fear and Society; Gender and Sexual Identity; and Toward a Rhetoric of Springsteen. The collection engages Springsteen and popular music as his contemporary work is just beginning to be understood in terms of its impact on popular culture and music, applying new areas of inquiry to Springsteen and putting Springsteen fan writing within the same binding as academic writing to show how together they create a more nuanced understanding of an artist. Established and emerging Springsteen scholars approach work from disciplines including rhetoric and composition, historical musicology, labor studies, American history, literature, communications, sociology, theology, and government. Offering context, critique, and expansive understanding of Springsteen and his work, this book contributes to Springsteen scholarship and the study of popular music by showing Springsteen’s broadening academic appeal as well as his escalating legacy on new musicians, social consciousness, and contemporary culture.
Edited by:
William I. Wolff
Imprint: Routledge
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions:
Height: 234mm,
Width: 156mm,
Weight: 380g
ISBN: 9780367231866
ISBN 10: 0367231867
Series: Routledge Studies in Popular Music
Pages: 240
Publication Date: 07 February 2019
Audience:
College/higher education
,
Primary
,
A / AS level
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
"Music examples Acknowledgments List of contributors Introduction: the rhetoric and social consciousness of Bruce Springsteen William I Wolff Part 1. Politics, fear, and society 1. Lost in the flood: Bruce Springsteen’s political consciousness and the Vietnam War, 1968–2014 Jonathan D. Cohen 2. ""Youngstown"": a local band’s rebuke of Springsteen’s representation of a city struggling to define itself after deindustrialization Sara Gulgas 3. Our Lady of E Street: the Boss’s Virgin, 2002–2014 Karen O’Donnell 4. ""This turnpike sure is spooky"": Springsteen and the politics of fear Jason Stonerook Part 2. Gender and sexual identity 5. American Beauty nomads?: ontological security and masculinized knowledge in uncertain times Pamela Moss Dialogues: Springsteen and women 6. The Promised Land: Springsteen’s epic heterosexuality, late capitalism, and prospects for queer life Nadine Hubbs 7. Is there anybody alive out there? Growing up queer with Bruce Holly Casio 8. Who is Springsteen to his women fans? Lorraine Mangione and Donna Luff Part 3. Toward a rhetoric of Bruce Springsteen 9. When words fail: nonlexical utterances and the rhetoric of voicelessness in the songs of Bruce Springsteen, 1975–1984 Eric Rawson 10. ""To stand shoulder to shoulder and heart to heart"": authenticity, community, and folk music in the recent work of Bruce Springsteen Owen Cantrell Dialogues: Springsteen, audience, and interpretation 11. ""Bring ‘em home!"": the rhetorical ecologies of Devils & Dust Jason Schneider 12. Springsteen’s stage success: the setlist and beyond Peter Chianca 13. ""They don’t just see some person with a guitar"": Springsteen and rhetorical identification Scott Wagar Index"
William I. Wolff is an assistant professor of communication studies and digital media at Saint Joseph’s University where he teaches courses on participatory culture, nonprofit communications, and digital storytelling. His work has appeared in Kairos: A Journal of Rhetoric, Technology, and Pedagogy; Transformative Works and Cultures; Technical Writing Quarterly and Computers & Composition.
