Read an Excerpt

Introduction

Dear Reader,

     Welcome to the classic-literature-meets-pop-music party of your dreams. The friendship bracelet supplies are on the kitchen table. The chai sugar cookies are in the oven. And we will be having breakfast at midnight.
     We’re your hosts, Rachel and Tiffany, two sisters-in-law ready to nerd out about Taylor Swift’s lyrics with you. One of us (Rach) is an English professor who loves quoting Taylor’s lyrics in class. One of us (Tiff) is an actor and singer who has been a devoted Swiftie since she met Taylor after a concert at age fifteen. And we come bearing gifts!
     Maybe you’re a longtime fan who’s been defending Taylor’s music from people who say it’s “basic” or “for teen girls” since before she taught us how to “shake it off.” For you, we have vindication—proof that Taylor Swift doesn’t just write bops, she writes intellectual bops. Her music is a master class in literary allusion and a survey course in some of the greatest works of English literature. That’s why we’re going to pull out some of Taylor’s literary influences, quotes, connections, and references to give you the background you need to get an even fuller understanding of her work.
     Or maybe you’re a newer fan who got on board because of the infectious joy of the Eras Tour and subsequent film—or because the spare orchestration of folklore hit at just the right moment, when you were isolated in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic with plenty of time to really meditate on her lyrics. Perhaps the rerecordings were the turning point, when you joined a global community of fans rallying behind an artist taking ownership of her work while opening the vault on some instant classics. For you, we’re going deep into the albums you love and the ones you may not have thought about as much, bringing new layers to the whole scope of her work by looking at it through a literary lens. (We won’t touch on every single track, but we will discuss most of them!)
     But what if you’re just Swift-curious? Are you a voracious reader (or tortured poet) wondering why so many folks like Taylor Swift so much? Did a Swiftie in your life give you this book as a present? (We think that was really cool and nice of them, if so.) Are you a recovering Taylor skeptic ready to be converted? Yes, we brought something for you too. Because we’re about to take a delightfully bookish dive into the lyrics—album by album and literary era by era—of Dr. Swift. (That’s right: she holds an honorary doctorate from NYU.) Here, you won’t find the things you might expect from the phrase Taylor Swift book: official or authorized perspectives on Swift’s discography, readings that leave little room for your own interpretations, or speculations about Taylor Swift’s personal life. What you will find is evidence that Taylor’s work is full of party favors for the literature lover.
     Wherever you are in your antihero’s journey, we’re so delighted that you’ve cracked open Taylor Swift by the Book. We can’t wait to share the lyrics, lyricist, and literature we love with you!

Forever and always,
Rachel and Tiffany