Memory | 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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The Lost Boys Chapter of Her Life: Fear of Aging in Never Grow Up

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

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

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

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That's When[ever]: Blurring Time after a Reconciliation

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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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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Fear itself: Inaction in Fearless

Taylor Swift Scholar investigates whether Taylor Swift is actually fearless in the song fearless. Spoiler: she's not.

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I Knew Everything When I Was Young: TS01 Full Analysis

Taylor Swift introduces herself to the world through a collection of songs that consider the nuances of what it means to know.

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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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The Time Traveler's Wife: Visiting the Past in Mary's Song (Oh My My My)

Swift, a metaphysician, uses Mary’s narrative as an opportunity to revisit the theme from a universe where the relationship did not end.

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Swift Vengeance Waits: Picture to Burn

Recap: Picture to Burn is Taylor Swift’s second song and first revenge anthem — the first foray into a genre that will become a Swiftian...

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Tim[e] McGraw: A Deconstruction of Music and Memory

Recap: Taylor Swift’s first song, Tim McGraw, uses a complex structure to reflect on whether past relationships stay in the past or live...

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