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Diogenes the Dragon: Battling Cynicism in Long Live
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.
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'
Swift's Theology of Noise Music in Our Song
In Our Song, noted music theorist Taylor Swift grapples with the question “What is Music?”
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When Taylor Met the Finale: Swift’s Unfulfilled Desire for a Rom-Com Ending
The Basics: Six months after her relationship has ended, Taylor Swift sings “come back, come back, come back to meee heeee” to her ex....
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.
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.
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.
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.
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]...
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Your Love is My Drug: Withdrawal Symptoms in The Way I Loved You
In The Way I Loved You, Swift describes her past relationship as if it were a psychedelic drug and she is now experiencing withdrawal.
Words Mean Nothing: The Nihilist Semiotics of You're Not Sorry
Swift, a nihilist semiologist, emphasizes how words can be emptied of meaning by saying “You’re not sorry no no no (no).”
Tell Me Why Breaking Up is Sometimes Better Than the Alternative
Swift addresses all six dimensions of wellness (physical, emotional, occupational, intellectual, spiritual and social) in Tell Me Why.
Love as Life Support: Breaking up Biological Function in Breathe
In Breathe, Taylor Swift describes cessation of biological function at every level – from her whole body to her organs to her very cells.
She says how she feels, I say nothing: Communication styles in You Belong with Me
Swift’s tour de force You Belong with Me repurposes and perfects themes that she excavated earlier in her oeuvre.
I’m not mad I’m just disappointed: Deconstructionist autocriticism in White Horse
In White Horse, Taylor Swift negates the fairy tale tropes of Love Story. She erases the relationship and writes herself a new role.
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'
Happy Ending or Tragedy Impending? Metafictional Reflection in Love Story
While appearing to celebrate a Love Story, postmodernist poet Taylor Swift uses metafiction to subtly critique the genre.
Wisdom of the Elders: 18yo Swift recalls being Fifteen
The Basics In Fifteen, a wizened Taylor Swift addresses her fifteen-year-old self. Now eighteen, Swift has acquired the wisdom that comes...
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