The Basics:  Six months after her relationship has ended, Taylor Swift sings “come back, come back, come back to meee heeee” to her ex....

The courtroom metaphor, however, illustrates that Swift’s relationship does not belong to a jury of Swift’s peers, but to Swift herself: “The jury’s out, but my choice is you.” Taylor Swift’s relationship is not within the court’s jurisdiction.

We know from Swift’s later work that she was a noted scholar of Greek philosophy during this era of her life “You know how to ball / I know Aristotle” (So High School). It is thus worth digging into Swift name dropping a group of people who were deeply upset by her success – the world-denying philosophers known as the Cynics.

Swift’s relationship was a physical experience. Since breaking up, the full-bodied physical experience of another person has been replaced by a flattened, empty version. For example, Swift sings: “I’ll watch your life in pictures like I used to watch you sleep.” When they were together, Swift saw a three-dimensional, moving, human being. After the break-up, she will now see him only through static, pixelated representations on an instagram feed.

In literature and popular culture, ghosts generally linger because they have unfinished business from their lives.

As in Never Grow Up, time in Innocent is a double-edged sword. Although growing up is terrible, it also provides healing and growth.

Better Than Revenge is Swift’s Iliad – a feminine recasting of the timeless tale of besmirched honor.

Swift read a lot into eye contact and a quick conversation – in her mind, she decoded the message embedded in a light-hearted conversation.

Our chronophobic prophetess Taylor Swift informs a baby that her life is only going to get worse from here.

The Story of Us continues Swift’s exploration of literary themes in her romantic relationships – beginning with Love Story and White Horse.

Like quintessential revenge heroes Hamlet or Cady Heron, Swift leaves a wake of destruction behind her when she attempts to become mean.

John relied upon darkness to cover up his misdeeds. Swift becomes a radiant source of light, illuminating not just herself, but a whole town

Taylor Swift uses Speak Now to specifically consider the consequences of not speaking – situations where silence is an action.

In Back To December, Taylor Swift explores decay over time.

The Basics: Taylor Swift describes a date by proclaiming over and over again that it was a fairytale. Literary Device: Epizeuxis...

In this literary analysis of Sparks Fly, Taylor Swift Scholar explores how Swift's thoughts about desire have evolved since her first album.

Taylor Swift Scholar's close reading reveals how Taylor Swift applies the Memory Theory of Personal Identity to a relationship in Mine.

A literary analysis of Taylor Swift's Bye Bye Baby -- the final song on Fearless (Taylor's Version.)

Taylor Swift scholar presents a close reading of Don't You.

Swift and Urban's time apart is not represented using discrete moments in linear time, but as a series of oppositions blurred together.