Heartbreak | Taylor Swift Scholar

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?”

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

The Allegory of the Rose: Linear and Cyclical Time in Back to December

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

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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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.

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.

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.

A Perfectly Good Heart: Heartbreak or Brainbreak?

Through A Perfectly Good Heart, Swift thus illustrates how the human body is altered at the end of a relationship.

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