{"product_id":"blues-and-the-poetic-spirit-9780872863156","title":"Blues and the Poetic Spirit","description":"\u003cp\u003eWhile 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eLike 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFirst published in 1975, \u003ci\u003eBlues and the Poetic Spirit\u003c\/i\u003e 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePaul Garon's study of the blues represents a new and important approach to the analysis of the blues as a psychopoetic phenomenon ... this work is an important starting place for researchers who want to investigate the essence of the blues.--Samuel Floyd\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAbsolutely the best book on the blues.--Robin D.G. Kelley\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003ePaul Garon\u003c\/b\u003e has written about the blues for nearly fifty years. A co-founder of Living Blues, he is also the author of \u003ci\u003eThe Devil's Son-in-Law: The Story of Peetie Wheatstraw and His Songs\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eBlues and the Poetic Spirit\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eWhat's the Use of Walking if a Freight Train's Going Your Way\u003c\/i\u003e, as well as a small collection of prose poems, \u003ci\u003eRana Mozelle.\u003c\/i\u003e He and his wife, co-author Beth Garon, own and operate Beasley Books, a used and rare book business in Chicago.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e City Lights Books\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 01\/01\/2001\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780872863156\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 240\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.74lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 7.97h x 5.50w x 0.73d\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Paul Garon","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":39637876637877,"sku":"9780872863156","price":17.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0473\/0804\/6492\/products\/img_801a58e4-6119-427e-b85e-08a6a93e7cb7.jpg?v=1617679091","url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/blues-and-the-poetic-spirit-9780872863156","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}