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Swifterature: A Love Story: English Literature and Taylor Swift
An exciting literary fusion of fandom and feminism, Swifterature captures the special connection between English literature and the worldwide phenomenon of Taylor Swift.
Swifterature captures a unique fusion of different fandom, feminism, and a defense of both literature and popular culture.
The narrative is split into thirteen chapters that use Swift's lyrics as departure points. The reader experiences the inspiring influence of English literature as Swift’s lens breathes new vitality and urgency into older texts. McCausland also writes about her own experiences as she copes with intense media scrutiny and is forced to defend her academic integrity.
She argues that Swift, through her self-conscious engagement with classic works of literature and her extraordinary popularity, invites us to reflect not only on the culture of our past but also of our present. Swifterature shows how Swift’s place on the world’s stage can teach us about many things, from feminism to politics, nature to childhood. In the process the book makes a compelling case that studying Taylor Swift also turns us into better readers, not only of literature but of ourselves and each other.
Swifterature captures a unique fusion of different fandom, feminism, and a defense of both literature and popular culture.
The narrative is split into thirteen chapters that use Swift's lyrics as departure points. The reader experiences the inspiring influence of English literature as Swift’s lens breathes new vitality and urgency into older texts. McCausland also writes about her own experiences as she copes with intense media scrutiny and is forced to defend her academic integrity.
She argues that Swift, through her self-conscious engagement with classic works of literature and her extraordinary popularity, invites us to reflect not only on the culture of our past but also of our present. Swifterature shows how Swift’s place on the world’s stage can teach us about many things, from feminism to politics, nature to childhood. In the process the book makes a compelling case that studying Taylor Swift also turns us into better readers, not only of literature but of ourselves and each other.
- GenresNonfictionAudiobook
320 pages, Hardcover
Published November 4, 2025
27 people are currently reading
217 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
December 20, 2025
Ik was een beetje cynisch; "wéér een boek over Taylor", maar op haar boekvoorstelling heeft ze me toch overtuigd om hier 35,5 euro voor te betalen. Ik moet zeggen: geen spijt van!
Het is gevat (echt vaak boenk erop), cynisch en grappig. Heb met momenten echt hard gelachen, maar ik heb vooral veel bijgeleerd. McCausland is kritisch, zowel ten opzichte van Taylor Swift, als ten opzichte van haar fans, en de bredere maatschappij.
Als je een liefdesbrief aan Taylor zoekt, ben je hier echt wel aan het foute adres. Die liefdesbrief was misschien een beetje wat ik verwacht/gevreesd had, maar ik werd aangenaam verrast. Swifterature onderzoekt waarom Taylor Swift vandaag de dag zoveel macht heeft, want dat valt niet te ontkennen. Het leert ons ook dat we daar kritisch mee moeten omgaan.
Het gaat over eeuwenoude mythes, fandom, de Romantics, mad women, wereldoorlogen, adaptaties, ecocriticism, Disney, enzovoort. Ik leerde bij over iconische werken via de lens van Taylor Swift. Is daar iets mis mee? Of zoals McCausland het zelf zegt: "If people get to Sylvia Plath - or Shakespeare, or Austen, or Brontë - via Taylor Swift, does it really matter how they got there? Or is the important thing that they are there in the first place, warm hands placed on stony monuments, helping to keep the freezing creep of time at bay?" (2025:251) THAT'S WHAT I THOUGHT. Mijn liefde voor Charlotte Brontë is dankzij dit boek (en het vak Swifterature) enkel toegenomen.
De vele expliciete verwijzingen naar Taylor's lyrics waren soms een beetje 'too much' voor mij. Los daarvan: een aanrader! En ik schrijf dit zeker niet omdat mijn prof - aka de autrice (ja, ik probeer dit woord te introduceren) - misschien meeleest en ik in januari nog een mondeling examen moet gaan afleggen xxx
Het is gevat (echt vaak boenk erop), cynisch en grappig. Heb met momenten echt hard gelachen, maar ik heb vooral veel bijgeleerd. McCausland is kritisch, zowel ten opzichte van Taylor Swift, als ten opzichte van haar fans, en de bredere maatschappij.
Als je een liefdesbrief aan Taylor zoekt, ben je hier echt wel aan het foute adres. Die liefdesbrief was misschien een beetje wat ik verwacht/gevreesd had, maar ik werd aangenaam verrast. Swifterature onderzoekt waarom Taylor Swift vandaag de dag zoveel macht heeft, want dat valt niet te ontkennen. Het leert ons ook dat we daar kritisch mee moeten omgaan.
Het gaat over eeuwenoude mythes, fandom, de Romantics, mad women, wereldoorlogen, adaptaties, ecocriticism, Disney, enzovoort. Ik leerde bij over iconische werken via de lens van Taylor Swift. Is daar iets mis mee? Of zoals McCausland het zelf zegt: "If people get to Sylvia Plath - or Shakespeare, or Austen, or Brontë - via Taylor Swift, does it really matter how they got there? Or is the important thing that they are there in the first place, warm hands placed on stony monuments, helping to keep the freezing creep of time at bay?" (2025:251) THAT'S WHAT I THOUGHT. Mijn liefde voor Charlotte Brontë is dankzij dit boek (en het vak Swifterature) enkel toegenomen.
De vele expliciete verwijzingen naar Taylor's lyrics waren soms een beetje 'too much' voor mij. Los daarvan: een aanrader! En ik schrijf dit zeker niet omdat mijn prof - aka de autrice (ja, ik probeer dit woord te introduceren) - misschien meeleest en ik in januari nog een mondeling examen moet gaan afleggen xxx
January 10, 2026
Elly McCausland’s Swifterature: A Love Story: English Literature and Taylor Swift is a book that understands obsession as an intellectual method. It is not a stunt, nor a gimmick, nor a plea for literary legitimacy via pop stardom. Instead, it reads like a feminist iconoclast montage: fragments of English literature, critical theory, pop lyrics, and lived experience spliced together with confidence and care. McCausland does not argue that Taylor Swift is “as good as” the canon; she reveals how the canon has always depended on the same emotional architectures Swift has mastered—desire, repetition, confession, rage, reinvention. The result is an invisible string pulled tight between literature, art, poetry, and modernity.
What makes Swifterature compelling is its refusal to be embarrassed. McCausland treats Swift not as a guilty pleasure but as a serious cultural text, worthy of the same close reading applied to Austen’s irony, the Brontës’ ferocity, Keats’s sensuality, Shelley’s radical imagination, or Defoe’s fascination with survival and self-making. These connections are not decorative name-drops; they are structural. Swift’s narrators, like Austen’s heroines, learn by misjudgment. Her storms of feeling echo the Brontës’ moors. Her fixation on time, memory, and beauty that destroys recalls Keats. Her anger at systems—patriarchal, commercial, critical—feels Shelleyan in its insistence that art can imagine something freer. McCausland makes the case that Swift belongs not because she is exceptional, but because she is exemplary: she shows how these literary traditions continue to metabolize themselves in the present.
The book’s form mirrors its argument. Rather than a linear thesis, Swifterature moves associatively, almost musically. It samples, remixes, loops back. This montage quality feels feminist in itself, rejecting the authoritative, god’s-eye view of traditional criticism. McCausland writes as a fan-scholar, a reader-listener whose subjectivity is not a flaw but a source of insight. The book insists that loving something deeply can sharpen analysis rather than dull it. In a culture that still distrusts women’s pleasure—especially when it is loud, popular, or emotional—this stance feels quietly radical.
One of the book’s most effective tensions is its refusal to sanitize Swift. McCausland frames Taylor Swift as cottagecore—cardigans, quills, pastoral longing—while never letting us forget the private jet, a massive pollution point that undercuts the aesthetic of smallness and simplicity. This contradiction is not treated as a gotcha but as a symptom of modern power. Swift is both the girl in the woods and the industrial-scale corporation. She embodies the fantasy of escape from capitalism while being one of its most efficient engines. The book asks readers to sit with that discomfort rather than resolve it too neatly.
That discomfort extends to the question of women and the world economy. Swift’s success is not merely personal; it is infrastructural. McCausland situates her as a figure who exposes how women’s labor—emotional, creative, managerial—is often undervalued until it becomes impossible to ignore. Swift’s tours move markets. Her rerecordings reframe intellectual property law as a feminist issue. Her fandom demonstrates collective power, even as it risks sliding into pure consumerism. The book understands Swift as a case study in what happens when a woman not only plays the game but redesigns it in real time.
As a Swiftie, I found myself nodding—and wincing. I love Taylor’s art more than I love Taylor. That distinction matters. McCausland gives language to the uneasy feeling many fans carry: the joy of immersion alongside the fatigue of endless consumption. Thirty-plus variations of the same album test the line between art and extraction. The thrill of Easter eggs can tip into obligation. And yet, as the memes suggest, sometimes I just need to listen to Taylor Swift alone. Alone, with the songs, without the merch drops or discourse or algorithms. McCausland honors that private, almost devotional relationship to art—the way a song can be a room you return to when the world is too bright or too loud.
The book’s attention to fandom as a collective body also resonates with lived experience. I was at the Seattle show McCausland mentions, the night the crowd quite literally shook the ground and registered as a mini earthquake. Being there felt like standing inside a cultural weather system. The noise was joy, yes, but also release—tens of thousands of people singing the same words, synchronizing breath and memory. McCausland reads moments like this not as hysteria but as evidence of art’s material force. Literature has always done this too, she reminds us; we just tend to forget when the readers are women.
What ultimately makes Swifterature linger is its generosity. McCausland does not demand purity from Swift or from fans. She allows contradiction: feminism entangled with capitalism, intimacy mediated by mass culture, sincerity surviving irony. The book suggests that meaning is not found by standing outside these systems, but by reading them closely from within. That, too, is a literary inheritance.
In the end, Swifterature is less about proving Taylor Swift’s worth than about modeling a way of paying attention. It teaches us how to read across centuries without flattening difference, how to take pleasure seriously, how to trace that invisible string connecting past and present forms of expression. It invites us to ask not whether Swift belongs in the literary conversation, but why we ever thought she didn’t.
For me, that invisible string resolves into songs—songs that shaped who I am, songs that could help you find me in an otherwise dark room. “The Bolter,” with its refusal to be captured. “Blank Space,” a masterclass in self-aware satire. “Midnight Rain,” choosing growth over comfort. “Out of the Woods,” anxiety rendered as rhythm. “So It Goes…,” secrecy and desire humming beneath the surface. “August,” a season that never quite ends. McCausland’s book understands why these songs matter: they are not escapes from literature, but continuations of it—alive, unfinished, and still singing.
What makes Swifterature compelling is its refusal to be embarrassed. McCausland treats Swift not as a guilty pleasure but as a serious cultural text, worthy of the same close reading applied to Austen’s irony, the Brontës’ ferocity, Keats’s sensuality, Shelley’s radical imagination, or Defoe’s fascination with survival and self-making. These connections are not decorative name-drops; they are structural. Swift’s narrators, like Austen’s heroines, learn by misjudgment. Her storms of feeling echo the Brontës’ moors. Her fixation on time, memory, and beauty that destroys recalls Keats. Her anger at systems—patriarchal, commercial, critical—feels Shelleyan in its insistence that art can imagine something freer. McCausland makes the case that Swift belongs not because she is exceptional, but because she is exemplary: she shows how these literary traditions continue to metabolize themselves in the present.
The book’s form mirrors its argument. Rather than a linear thesis, Swifterature moves associatively, almost musically. It samples, remixes, loops back. This montage quality feels feminist in itself, rejecting the authoritative, god’s-eye view of traditional criticism. McCausland writes as a fan-scholar, a reader-listener whose subjectivity is not a flaw but a source of insight. The book insists that loving something deeply can sharpen analysis rather than dull it. In a culture that still distrusts women’s pleasure—especially when it is loud, popular, or emotional—this stance feels quietly radical.
One of the book’s most effective tensions is its refusal to sanitize Swift. McCausland frames Taylor Swift as cottagecore—cardigans, quills, pastoral longing—while never letting us forget the private jet, a massive pollution point that undercuts the aesthetic of smallness and simplicity. This contradiction is not treated as a gotcha but as a symptom of modern power. Swift is both the girl in the woods and the industrial-scale corporation. She embodies the fantasy of escape from capitalism while being one of its most efficient engines. The book asks readers to sit with that discomfort rather than resolve it too neatly.
That discomfort extends to the question of women and the world economy. Swift’s success is not merely personal; it is infrastructural. McCausland situates her as a figure who exposes how women’s labor—emotional, creative, managerial—is often undervalued until it becomes impossible to ignore. Swift’s tours move markets. Her rerecordings reframe intellectual property law as a feminist issue. Her fandom demonstrates collective power, even as it risks sliding into pure consumerism. The book understands Swift as a case study in what happens when a woman not only plays the game but redesigns it in real time.
As a Swiftie, I found myself nodding—and wincing. I love Taylor’s art more than I love Taylor. That distinction matters. McCausland gives language to the uneasy feeling many fans carry: the joy of immersion alongside the fatigue of endless consumption. Thirty-plus variations of the same album test the line between art and extraction. The thrill of Easter eggs can tip into obligation. And yet, as the memes suggest, sometimes I just need to listen to Taylor Swift alone. Alone, with the songs, without the merch drops or discourse or algorithms. McCausland honors that private, almost devotional relationship to art—the way a song can be a room you return to when the world is too bright or too loud.
The book’s attention to fandom as a collective body also resonates with lived experience. I was at the Seattle show McCausland mentions, the night the crowd quite literally shook the ground and registered as a mini earthquake. Being there felt like standing inside a cultural weather system. The noise was joy, yes, but also release—tens of thousands of people singing the same words, synchronizing breath and memory. McCausland reads moments like this not as hysteria but as evidence of art’s material force. Literature has always done this too, she reminds us; we just tend to forget when the readers are women.
What ultimately makes Swifterature linger is its generosity. McCausland does not demand purity from Swift or from fans. She allows contradiction: feminism entangled with capitalism, intimacy mediated by mass culture, sincerity surviving irony. The book suggests that meaning is not found by standing outside these systems, but by reading them closely from within. That, too, is a literary inheritance.
In the end, Swifterature is less about proving Taylor Swift’s worth than about modeling a way of paying attention. It teaches us how to read across centuries without flattening difference, how to take pleasure seriously, how to trace that invisible string connecting past and present forms of expression. It invites us to ask not whether Swift belongs in the literary conversation, but why we ever thought she didn’t.
For me, that invisible string resolves into songs—songs that shaped who I am, songs that could help you find me in an otherwise dark room. “The Bolter,” with its refusal to be captured. “Blank Space,” a masterclass in self-aware satire. “Midnight Rain,” choosing growth over comfort. “Out of the Woods,” anxiety rendered as rhythm. “So It Goes…,” secrecy and desire humming beneath the surface. “August,” a season that never quite ends. McCausland’s book understands why these songs matter: they are not escapes from literature, but continuations of it—alive, unfinished, and still singing.
January 14, 2026
The book I would have written had I got my
MA in English like I wanted to 😂
MA in English like I wanted to 😂
January 27, 2026
I really enjoyed this! As a Swiftie, I'll always pick up most things written about Taylor because I find it interesting. This book is a more in depth look from the author who commented on the poetry of Taylor Swift in another book. In my opinion, I preferred this of the two. I found it really interesting that the first half of the book focused on why courses are being taught about Taylor's lyrics and songs. Granted, I don't believe that teenage Taylor was having these critical thought processes about what she was writing about. But it is fascinating to have professors go in and look at all of the cool stuff that is happening in her lyrics and world building, much of which I'm sure she now plays into pretty easily. I really appreciated that the latter half of the book, particularly chapter 11, focused on some real life critiques of Taylor and approached them in a fair way. As a Swiftie, I am not one who never criticizes Blondie. It was great to see a book acknowledge some of the ways in which her actions can seem performative or not congruent with the persona she tries to display, as well as the privilege that allows her to do so. Remember - we can criticize people or things because we love them and want them to improve! (Honestly, wouldn't hurt Taylor to read this book written about her). Overall, really solid analyses. Enjoyed it greatly. 4.5 stars!
Page count: 298; consumed mix of physically reading and audiobook
Page count: 298; consumed mix of physically reading and audiobook
January 14, 2026
This is a loving yet critical examination of Swift’s art that connects it to other literary works, gently nudging readers toward exploring those other remarkable texts.
Having attended Professor McCausland’s literature classes and then spotting this book in a bookshop, I knew I had to get this treasure!
McCausland’s witty, referential, and often delightfully sarcastic writing style truly elevates the reading experience: it creates the comforting impression of being present at a cozy class discussion, one where insights are shared generously, humor is welcome, and curiosity is constantly encouraged.
Although I stopped listening to Taylor Swift’s music in recent years—feeling she had grown far removed from the artist I once enjoyed due to questionable lyrics and the controversies surrounding her public persona—I never stopped loving literature or its influence on popular culture. I adore how this book analyzes song lyrics, uncovering deeper meanings and connections to other works of art, while also examining the singer-songwriter critically from a societal perspective. This is why Swifterature is exactly what I had hoped to read someday.
Having attended Professor McCausland’s literature classes and then spotting this book in a bookshop, I knew I had to get this treasure!
McCausland’s witty, referential, and often delightfully sarcastic writing style truly elevates the reading experience: it creates the comforting impression of being present at a cozy class discussion, one where insights are shared generously, humor is welcome, and curiosity is constantly encouraged.
Although I stopped listening to Taylor Swift’s music in recent years—feeling she had grown far removed from the artist I once enjoyed due to questionable lyrics and the controversies surrounding her public persona—I never stopped loving literature or its influence on popular culture. I adore how this book analyzes song lyrics, uncovering deeper meanings and connections to other works of art, while also examining the singer-songwriter critically from a societal perspective. This is why Swifterature is exactly what I had hoped to read someday.
November 10, 2025
Smart, generous, and way more fun than most lit-crit, Swifterature: A Love Story won me over with its clear thesis—Taylor Swift’s lyrics are a lively gateway into the English canon—and its energetic close readings (from Chaucer’s rumor-palace to Brontë’s “red thread” to Gatsby’s hangover of hope).
Elly McCausland writes like a teacher who actually likes her students and the culture they love; the “quill/fountain pen/glitter gel pen” framework is a memorable on-ramp for thinking about genre and voice.
I docked a star only because a few chapters skim past thornier questions (class, race, and the global economics of touring) just when things get especially interesting.
Still, this is one of the rare music–literature crossovers I’ll recommend to both Swifties and canon loyalists: inviting, insightful, and packed with teachable moments—and yes, it made me queue the discography and pull Jane Eyre off the shelf.
Read the whole analysis : https://www.probinism.com/swifteratur...
Elly McCausland writes like a teacher who actually likes her students and the culture they love; the “quill/fountain pen/glitter gel pen” framework is a memorable on-ramp for thinking about genre and voice.
I docked a star only because a few chapters skim past thornier questions (class, race, and the global economics of touring) just when things get especially interesting.
Still, this is one of the rare music–literature crossovers I’ll recommend to both Swifties and canon loyalists: inviting, insightful, and packed with teachable moments—and yes, it made me queue the discography and pull Jane Eyre off the shelf.
Read the whole analysis : https://www.probinism.com/swifteratur...
January 10, 2026
Zelf heb ik absoluut geen love story met Taylor Swift. Ik ben aan dit boek begonnen ondanks Taylor Swift. Door de talrijke verwijzingen naar de songteksten ben ik wel wat nieuwsgierig geworden en zal ik die lyrics zeker eens wat aandachtiger lezen.
Om maar te zeggen dat Swifterature voor mij in de eerste plaats een verfrissende benadering van literatuur is. Ik koester mijn universiteitsjaren in Gent, maar zeker niet omdat ze mij veel literaire inzichten hebben bijgebracht.
Swifterature was voor mij dan ook een schot in de roos. Elk van de dertien hoofdstukken gaat dieper in op een aspect van literaire theorie zonder dat het ook maar een ogenblik zo aanvoelt. Tropen, de anti-held, origineel vs adaptatie, ….
En ondertussen passeren alle grote namen uit de Engelse literuur ook hier de revue. Speelsgewijze en zeer verteerbaar.
Lees ook https://gal-altijdeenboek.blogspot.co...
Om maar te zeggen dat Swifterature voor mij in de eerste plaats een verfrissende benadering van literatuur is. Ik koester mijn universiteitsjaren in Gent, maar zeker niet omdat ze mij veel literaire inzichten hebben bijgebracht.
Swifterature was voor mij dan ook een schot in de roos. Elk van de dertien hoofdstukken gaat dieper in op een aspect van literaire theorie zonder dat het ook maar een ogenblik zo aanvoelt. Tropen, de anti-held, origineel vs adaptatie, ….
En ondertussen passeren alle grote namen uit de Engelse literuur ook hier de revue. Speelsgewijze en zeer verteerbaar.
Lees ook https://gal-altijdeenboek.blogspot.co...
December 24, 2025
Swifterature is so. Much. Fun. The writing is engaging, sharp and funny—I laughed out loud multiple times and really felt Elly’s personality shine through. The analysis of Swift’s writing alongside important texts from the history of English literature was so thorough and insightful. I was blown away by the amount of knowledge on display and by the innumerable connections made between it all. Also, as a philosopher I absolutely ate up the reflections on the ethics of Taylor Swift. Elly’s analysis is critical yet charitable. She expertly shows how part of admiring someone is holding them to account for their (in)actions, while remaining respectful and understanding of the admiree’s full humanity. Any rumours that the Swiftian Turn in academia lacks theoretical substance or academic rigour have been firmly disproven by this book. Go read it!!
January 10, 2026
Really enjoyed this. It's written by a literature lecturer so does get into a good amount of detail about literary techniques and themes, which I enjoyed a lot. It also doesn't shy away from covering the criticism of Taylor Swift and acknowledging some of the issues. Overall a really fun read for a bookish Swiftie! I'd recommend that if that's you. 4.5 stars.
January 7, 2026
I wish Dr. McCausland had been my English teacher growing up because then I would have appreciated my lit classes.
Coming from someone who dreaded my English classes, I found McCausland's writing easy to understand despite talking about big, academic literary topics.
I also really appreciated how McCausland presented both sides of Taylor Swift, how Taylor's girl-next-door charm is fading, her significant gas usage with her private jet, etc. I hope the zealous Swifties don't try to cancel Dr. McCausland lol.
I can't wait for the next book Dr. McCausland writes, even if it's not related to Taylor Swift!
Coming from someone who dreaded my English classes, I found McCausland's writing easy to understand despite talking about big, academic literary topics.
I also really appreciated how McCausland presented both sides of Taylor Swift, how Taylor's girl-next-door charm is fading, her significant gas usage with her private jet, etc. I hope the zealous Swifties don't try to cancel Dr. McCausland lol.
I can't wait for the next book Dr. McCausland writes, even if it's not related to Taylor Swift!
December 31, 2025
100 stars. This former teacher of literature ate this up.
January 7, 2026
Very interesting read. It’s not really about Taylor Swift but about literature through the lens of her lyrics.
January 13, 2026
love (and hate) learning new things!! there’s lots of great feminist and intersectional book recommendations i’m excited to explore.
Read
January 22, 2026chapters 11 & 12 were really interesting the rest was fine
December 7, 2025
As a Swiftie and an English literature nerd, this book was exactly what I wanted it to be. I loved the analyses, the references and allusions to the classics, and the criticism of Swift’s work through a modern lens.
Want to read
December 18, 2025It was a bit interesting but I kept forgetting to read it after I set it down , which isn't a great sign. The background info on her evolution was cool.
January 26, 2026
Taylor Swift's lyrics deserve close reading and analysis. Her gothic imagination and storytelling genius reveal an inventive mind. I particularly enjoyed reading about the literary devices she employs, especially zeugma! I also deeply appreciated the chapter about adaptation repeating with variation. I hadn't even thought about how adaptation could be applied to the Taylor's Versions of her original albums. I would definitely take McCausland's college level course in Swift.
December 13, 2025
This book reads like a massive associative exercise. You know, the one where you feel like you're Sherlock Holmes, standing in your living room, walls full of paper and red strings, pacing frantically back and forth, yelling "BUT WHAT IF IT IS?!". (In this instance, Sherlock is quoting Taylor, because I think he would benefit from spending a relaxing afternoon deciphering lyrics instead of solving murder cases. Everyone needs a break sometimes).
I loved every page and every minute of it. As someone who always keeps a pen and notebook on hand to madly scribble down lyrics and associations, reading this book felt natural and easy to follow. If you came for Taylor's music, you'll definitely stay for the English literature (reading list at the end!). This book isn't just fangirling (although it definitely does at points), but also engages critically with Taylor as an artist. It's not because we love something, we can't look at it from different - sometimes questioning - perspectives. This book balanced all those perspectives very well. Finally, Prof. McCausland writes like she teaches: detailed, insightful and answering before you can ask "can I ask you a question?".
I loved every page and every minute of it. As someone who always keeps a pen and notebook on hand to madly scribble down lyrics and associations, reading this book felt natural and easy to follow. If you came for Taylor's music, you'll definitely stay for the English literature (reading list at the end!). This book isn't just fangirling (although it definitely does at points), but also engages critically with Taylor as an artist. It's not because we love something, we can't look at it from different - sometimes questioning - perspectives. This book balanced all those perspectives very well. Finally, Prof. McCausland writes like she teaches: detailed, insightful and answering before you can ask "can I ask you a question?".
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews