The Rosary and the Microphone - Religious Impulse in U2’s Mediated Brand - Nicholas P. Greco

The Rosary and the Microphone - Religious Impulse in U2’s Mediated Brand - Nicholas P. Greco

Songs of Innocence as Barthes' Ideal Novel

The Rosary and the Microphone - Religious Impulse in U2’s Mediated Brand - Nicholas P. Greco

Nicholas P. Greco [+-]
Providence University College, Canada
Nicholas P. Greco is Associate Professor, Communications and Media, Providence University College, Canada. He is the author of David Bowie in Darkness (McFarland, 2015) and “Only if you are Really Interested”: Celebrity, Gender, Desire and the World of Morrissey (McFarland, 2011).

Description

This chapter explores the notion of U2’s later work as an example of Barthes’ Vita Nova, a new sort of novel. Roland Barthes’ desire to write a novel late in his life is ultimately a story of conversion, a decision to move in a direction different from what he was doing in the past. U2’s album, Songs of Innocence, is an imperfect example of Barthes’ ideal novel: it expresses both passion and intimacy, while conveying a loss of innocence. This chapter is particularly heavy in terms of Barthesian philosophy; his ideas on mourning and grace arguably permeate through U2’s music inasmuch as U2’s music expresses Bono’s own struggles in negotiating grief and death in his own family.

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Citation

Greco, Nicholas. Songs of Innocence as Barthes' Ideal Novel. The Rosary and the Microphone - Religious Impulse in U2’s Mediated Brand. Equinox eBooks Publishing, United Kingdom. p. 171-187 Oct 2019. ISBN 9781781795552. https://www.equinoxpub.com/home/view-chapter/?id=31267. Date accessed: 11 Nov 2024 doi: 10.1558/equinox.31267. Oct 2019

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