Language | 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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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.

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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.

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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