Reading the Beatles: Cultural Studies, Literary Criticism, And the Fab Four

by Todd F. Davis (editor), Todd F. Davis (Editor)

At the Pennsylvania State University at Altoona, Kenneth Womack is Interim Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, and Todd F. Davis is Associate Professor of English. Together they authored The Critical Response to John Irving and Formalist Criticism and Reader-Response Theory , and edited Mapping the Ethical A Reader in Ethics, Culture, and Literary Theory . Davis is also the author of Kurt Vonnegut's Crusade; or, How a Postmodern Harlequin Preached a New Kind of Humanism , also published by SUNY Press.

Genres: Music, Nonfiction

261 pages, Paperback

First published March 16, 2006

About the author

Todd F. Davis is an award-winning American poet, critic, and professor of English and Environmental Studies at Penn State Altoona. He has published eight poetry collections, including Ripe, The Least of These, Winterkill, and Ditch Memory: New & Selected Poems. His work has appeared in major journals such as The Iowa Review, Shenandoah, and The Gettysburg Review, and has been featured by Garrison Keillor and Ted Kooser. Davis has also co-edited literary anthologies and authored critical works on postmodern humanism. He lives in Pennsylvania with his wife and sons.

Reviews

[Ella Schilling · Rating 3 out of 5]

At first I was bored out of my skull and couldn't take it very seriously, especially the essay that applied such serious academic Theory to Beatles lyrics, basically comparing "She Loves You" to Shakespeare and whatnot. It reminds me of the classic dilemma of, if the artist/author didn't intend a certain meaning behind the words, is it valid for a critic/analyzer to find it? And we all know the Beatles didn't take their earlier lyrics that seriously. (Moon in June anyone?) And trust me, I am thrilled that universities have classes devoted to the Beatles, and of course at Liverpool University one can even get a degree in the Fab Four. Anyway, this book redeemed itself in later chapters, and the essays about high vs low culture, museum politics, pilgrimage etc. were especially fascinating. (I'm pretty sure the Magical Mystery Tour (run by the Cavern Club) has improved in quality and authenticity in the probably over 2 decades since the author wrote about it. At least, I saw a Youtube video of a recent tourist's trip on the MMT, and the guide did reference St Peter's Church as they drove past.)

The discussion about how if the Beatles become echeloned in high culture, ie. the likes of the 3 B's of western art music, then they may take on a different, less accessible, untouchable quality, was very interesting. I would also be interested in an essay that discusses what exactly is the difference between high and low culture, and the difference between popular music vs art music. (lines have certainly been blurred.)

The first few articles require knowledge of music theory to understand. Even as someone who knows a good amount of music theory, it’s not enjoyable to read a bunch of references and timestamps because I don’t want to have to get up and find the song and go to that specific time in the song (and this book came out in 2008 when streaming was hardly the dominant form of music consumption, so you really expect people to be flicking through their CDs like that?

Presentations of music theory as it relates to recorded music are best done in an audio or preferably audio video format so the presenter can sit at a piano and demonstrate the concepts they are talking about, and they can isolate the chords, etc. they are referring to. For a great example of this, see the following two Youtube channels: https://youtube.com/@akbluegrass?si=n... and https://youtube.com/@culturesonar?si=...

[Richard Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cited from the back cover: "Exploring the group's resounding impact on how we think about...the development of the Beatles' artistry in their films and the ways in which the band has functioned as a cultural, historical, [musicological], and economic product." The book contains twelve essays in three categories making it very readable. A must for fans and others with an interest in the lads from Liverpool.

[Rob McMonigal · Rating 4 out of 5]

See my review here: http://trebro.livejournal.com/209983....