Argument Quote by David Bennun
![“On another front of the category-error argument are the insufferable fogeys who think the [Nobel] award is an outrage upon literature itself. That the problem is not simply a mistake may have been made about definitions, but that awful vulgarians are encroaching upon their sacred places. [Bob]…” quote by David Bennun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/e58/david-bennun-25818_argument_on-another-front-of-the-category-error-a_3144959.jpg)
“On another front of the category-error argument are the insufferable fogeys who think the [Nobel] award is an outrage upon literature itself. That the problem is not simply a mistake may have been made about definitions, but that awful vulgarians are encroaching upon their sacred places. [Bob] Dylan, to them, is the harbinger of the low-culture mob; the latest in an unending number of final straws, or the thin end of a wedge that never seems to get thicker.”
About This Quote
Source Article: Nobel Prize Controversies, 2021
Some critics view the Nobel as elitist, seeing popular artists like Dylan as threats to literary standards.
In simple terms: Nobel is seen as exclusive; pop culture challenges it.
Key Takeaway
Recognize diverse contributions to literature.
Themes
elitism
culture clash
literary standards
pop vs high art
gatekeeping
Mood
critical
thoughtful
Type
analytical
controversial
When to use this quote
- academic debates
- media commentary
- public discourse
Key Concepts
award legitimacy
cultural hierarchy
artistic value
Questions to Reflect On
- Should literary awards broaden their scope?
- How do we define literary merit?
A Different Perspective
Resistance to change can stifle artistic evolution.
![“[I have] my own view about [Bob] Dylan's Nobel prize. Which is, I'm firmly in the Nay camp. I do think the award is a category error, but that's not why. Not in itself. What bothers me is the perceived status of the categories. If pop lyricists were routinely considered for the prize as are…” quote by David Bennun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/874/david-bennun-25818_awards_i-have-my-own-view-about-bob-dylan-s-nob_2927909.jpg)
![“The [Nobel] award [of Bob Dylan] is no affront to literature; it is an insult to pop music. It is a condescending ruffle of pop's hair while handing it a lollipop. An act of beaming condescension whose transparent message is: "This one guy, and just this one guy, he's so good, he transcends his…” quote by David Bennun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/f2e/david-bennun-25818_affront_the-nobel-award-of-bob-dylan-is-no-affro_1780840.jpg)
![“The general sentiment among the Yeas is, no accolade is too high for their man; and the Nobel being, literally, the gold standard among prizes, it is surely his [Bob Dylan] due.” quote by David Bennun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/7b4/david-bennun-25818_accolades_the-general-sentiment-among-the-yeas-is_1029179.jpg)
![“The point is not that [Bob] Dylan doesn't need a Nobel to attest to how good he is (although he doesn't.) It's that pop music, pop music of any kind, doesn't need the Nobel committee to damn it with the faint praise of such an award to its sole chosen representative.” quote by David Bennun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/fee/david-bennun-25818_awards_the-point-is-not-that-bob-dylan-doesn-t_1685357.jpg)
![“[Bob] Dylan thus deserves the Nobel Prize, not just for "new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition," as the Nobel committee aptly described his work, but also for embodying the contradictions within it.” quote by Jay Michaelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/d3b/jay-michaelson-15590_bob_bob-dylan-thus-deserves-the-nobel-prize_2829438.jpg)
![“The [Nobel] prize is for literature.[Bob] Dylan is a songwriter. Here is where the argument starts to get interesting, because here is where it is no longer a question of either cultural orthodoxy or personal taste.” quote by David Bennun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/cfa/david-bennun-25818_argument_the-nobel-prize-is-for-literature-bob-dy_729655.jpg)
![“The same is true of ranking him thus against any work of literature. [Bob Dylan] has been made, through no fault of his own, the object of odious tokenism.” quote by David Bennun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/1e2/david-bennun-25818_bob_the-same-is-true-of-ranking-him-thus-aga_1878124.jpg)
![“The Yeas are relatively uniform. They view [Bob] Dylan as one of the greatest artists of his or any era, who deserves to be taken as seriously as any litterateur. Where they vary is in some cases not even accepting the distinction: Dylan in their eyes is a literary titan, and the award of the…” quote by David Bennun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/0e5/david-bennun-25818_accepting_the-yeas-are-relatively-uniform-they-vie_2349023.jpg)
![“[Bob] Dylan may, for whatever reasons of his own, do nothing of the sort with the Nobel committee. Up there on Parnassus, that is his unquestionable prerogative. But here on my anthill, it's mine to say: oh, do piss off, you ineffable snobs.” quote by David Bennun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/9d7/david-bennun-25818_bob_bob-dylan-may-for-whatever-reasons-of-hi_3038552.jpg)
![“There's no reason - not yet, anyway - to believe [Bob] Dylan himself endorses such an attitude; or that he would think of himself as a more profound and worthy recipient than, for instance, any of the brilliant Motown or girl-group lyricists who are more likely to be awarded a Nobel prize for…” quote by David Bennun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/4bb/david-bennun-25818_abba_there-s-no-reason-not-yet-anyway-to-beli_130714.jpg)
![“Without music, there is not the faintest chance [Bob Dylan] words would now be garlanded as they are.” quote by David Bennun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/e12/david-bennun-25818_bob_without-music-there-is-not-the-faintest_295494.jpg)
![“[Bob Dylan] is principally a recording artist, and if he weren't, it is unthinkable he would have had such an impact. He is to be heard first and read second. Well, what about plays, you could reasonably ask. Is [William] Shakespeare not great literature? Yes, obviously: but his work is great…” quote by David Bennun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/0dd/david-bennun-25818_art_bob-dylan-is-principally-a-recording-art_442460.jpg)
![“First of all, there are those who simply don't care for [Bob] Dylan, or at least, don't think he's that great. Some of the former sound very much as if they are afflicted with the kind of contrarianism inevitably bred by cultural orthodoxy - Dylan is overwhelmingly rated a giant and a marvel, the…” quote by David Bennun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/799/david-bennun-25818_bob_first-of-all-there-are-those-who-simply_1193536.jpg)
![“I have seen quite a few folk whom I know to be both fair minded and, as it happens,[Bob] Dylan fans, take up cudgels for this position. To them, it's not necessarily that Dylan doesn't merit the highest honour. It's that he doesn't merit this specific highest honour [Nobel prize], in the way a…” quote by David Bennun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/423/david-bennun-25818_bob_i-have-seen-quite-a-few-folk-whom-i-know_1379291.jpg)
![“The question now becomes about defining your terms. What is literature? Unless we allow it to encompass the oral tradition from which it grew, which means taking it back to Homer and beyond, it demands the written word - poetry and prose. [Bob] Dylan is no slouch at the written word, both in its…” quote by David Bennun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/44f/david-bennun-25818_bob_the-question-now-becomes-about-defining_1554900.jpg)
