Politicized American Legend of the Singing Hero

Lori Elaine Taylor, “The Politicized American Legend of the Singing Hero: Joe Hill, Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Bob Dylan, and Bruce Springsteen.”

M.A. thesis, American Civilization. The George Washington University, 1990.

“. . . we choose and shape our own traditions through our associations—to that the politicized American legend of the Singing Hero and its surrounding community stand as witnesses. Together, often alone together through mass media which create some distance between them, members of this community build a culture based on their chosen values around images which embody those values in the ideal.”

Thesis submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences of The George Washington University in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in American Civilization / Folklife. Thesis directed by John Michael Vlach, Professor of American Studies and Folklife.

Available text linked below. 

Table of Contents

1. Role of the Hero in a Voluntary Community
   1. Politicizing the Singing Hero
   2. The New Religion
   3. A Technology-based Community
   4. Narratives of Singing Heroes
2. Patterning of Hero Tales within a Community
   1. The Form and Content
      1. State of Legend
      2. Psychic Distance
   2. The Community
      1. Short History of the All-American Left-wing Folk-song Revival Movement
      2. Tales Told within the Community
      3. The Patterned Life of the Singing Hero
3. Influence and Individuality of Singing Heroes
   1. Influences between Heroes
      1. Image Projection and Imitation
      2. Joe Hill
      3. Woody Guthrie
      4. Pete Seeger
      5. Bob Dylan
      6. Bruce Springsteen
   2. Unique Heroic Aspects of Each Singer’s Life
      1. Joe Hill
      2. Woody Guthrie
      3. Pete Seeger
      4. Bob Dylan
      5. Bruce Springsteen
4. The Function of Singing Heroes and Their Music
   1. Function of Heroes in Role and Cause Discrimination
      1. Emergence of a New Tradition
   2. Role of Music Is Receiver Controlled
      1. There’s Something Happening Here: Personal Choice in Emergent Traditions
5. End Matter
   1. Acknowledgments
   2. Sources
   3. Index