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


Ruining Regina George’s Life Didn’t Make Me Any Happier: Taylor Swift’s Cautionary Tale of Becoming Mean
Like quintessential revenge heroes Hamlet or Cady Heron, Swift leaves a wake of destruction behind her when she attempts to become mean.


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.


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.


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.


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.


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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