Bob Dylan’s metamorphoses

I was intrigued by a call for papers for a Dylan conference to be held in Vienna, coinciding with the seventieth birthday of the musician, writer, painter, songwriter (may 2011). The main topic are ‘metamorphoses’ of Dylan. I have made a series of mindmaps on this theme. This one (click to enlarge) is considering the several personas of Dylan as a songwriter/musician. I have limited the number arbitrarily to 7. It is interesting to note that some phases, like the protesting, were transient (dylan only returned twice to the form of protest song: George Jackson and Hurricane), while others are continual, like the blues format (e.g. Lonesome day blues on Love and theft and many others) and the poetical power of Dylan’s songs throughout his career. Also the ‘new-morning-return-to-nature-built-me-a-cabin’ phase was transient. To my knowledge it did not return in any of Dylan’s song hereafter.

Would love response: if you consider only 7 phases in Dylan’s songwriting and music, would you chose these seven? Other suggestions?

Thanks to sometimes rhymes for input (http://www.sometimesrhymes.com)

Illustration of North Country Blues is from Ellen Burkett (check out her drawings based on Dylan lyrics on http://shesanartistshedontlookback.blogspot.com)