Saint Stephen I just wrote you a paean: Signifier and signified in Hey Stephen
Swift, a philosopher of language, explores the relationship between a name and what it signifies by fully exploring the meaning of 'Stephen'
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Swift's Theology of Noise Music in Our Song
In Our Song, noted music theorist Taylor Swift grapples with the question “What is Music?”
Should've Said Know: Swift's Socratic Masterpiece
Swift, a Platonic philosopher, transforms a story of infidelity into a brilliant illustration of the Socratic idea that Virtue = Knowledge.
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Baby I’m a Firework: Illuminating Abusive Tactics in Dear John
John relied upon darkness to cover up his misdeeds. Swift becomes a radiant source of light, illuminating not just herself, but a whole town
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Don’t Say Yes: Silence as a Speech Act in Speak Now
Taylor Swift uses Speak Now to specifically consider the consequences of not speaking – situations where silence is an action.
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The Allegory of the Rose: Linear and Cyclical Time in Back to December
In Back To December, Taylor Swift explores decay over time.
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Snow White and the Unrealistic Date: Fantasy as Falsehood in Today was a Fairytale
The Basics: Taylor Swift describes a date by proclaiming over and over again that it was a fairytale. Literary Device: Epizeuxis...
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Hurt So Good: The Pain and Pleasure of Desire in Sparks Fly
In this literary analysis of Sparks Fly, Taylor Swift Scholar explores how Swift's thoughts about desire have evolved since her first album.
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Taylor Swift’s Archive of Love: The Memory Theory of Personal Identity in Mine
Taylor Swift Scholar's close reading reveals how Taylor Swift applies the Memory Theory of Personal Identity to a relationship in Mine.
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I've got a Blank Space: Nothingness in Bye, Bye Baby
A literary analysis of Taylor Swift's Bye Bye Baby -- the final song on Fearless (Taylor's Version.)
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I Would Very Much Like to be Excluded from this Narrative: Words vs. Truth in Don't You
Taylor Swift scholar presents a close reading of Don't You.
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That's When[ever]: Blurring Time after a Reconciliation
Swift and Urban's time apart is not represented using discrete moments in linear time, but as a series of oppositions blurred together.
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Light’s Out: Astrothesia of the Self in We Were Happy
In We Were Happy, Swift reflects with sadness on what it means to play the role of a setting sun in someone else's life.
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What's in a Name: Antonomasia in Mr. Perfectly Fine
Swift has clearly not forgotten Mr. Perfectly Fine yet, but she claims power for herself by replacing his name with twenty-eight sick burns.
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Goo All Over Me: Dirty Metaphors from the Vault
In the metaphors and similes in You All Over Me, Taylor Swift paints an increasingly grim series of portraits of herself after a breakup.
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Both an Entrance and an Exit: Derridean Deconstruction in The Other Side of the Door
Swift says “I might tell you that its over but if you look a little closer…” Like Derrida, she believes that language must be deconstructed.
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Shall I Compare Thee to a Superstar: Astrothesia in Taylor Swift
In the tradition of great sonneteers, Swift poetically indulges in her yearning for an unattainable love interest she has put on a pedestal.
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Rain, Rain Don’t Go Away: Passive Risk-taking in Come in with the Rain
The Basics Taylor Swift’s relationship is in trouble and she is too tired to fix it! Instead of making an effort, “[she’ll] leave [her]...
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Meet me at Midnight: Liminal Time in Untouchable
Untouchable is the first time that the words “middle of the night” or “midnight” appear in a Taylor Swift song.
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We Have Liftoff: Avoiding Hard Landings in Jump Then Fall
Swift explores the experience (and the idiom) of “falling in love” by repeating the phrase “jump then fall” in the chorus.
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I’ve heard there was a secret chord that Taylor sang: Biblical genres in Change
In Change, Taylor Swift consolidates Biblical techniques and a Biblical shout of celebration to create the ultimate anthem of hope.
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Ode on a VHS Tape: Ekphrasis in The Best Day
Swift’s use of ekphrasis to describe a home video elevates this domestic scene to the realm of high art.
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I Remember it All Too Well: Eyewitness Testimony in Forever & Always
In Forever & Always, Swift begins to explore a theme that she will perfect in her magnum opus All Too Well.
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