We are letting Taylor Swift take us to the lakes today! These are the lyrics Angela used to convince Uncle Jerry to do this podcast, and his analysis does not disappoint. Come with us to learn all about Romanticism, The Lakes Poets, and how Taylor expertly weaves those two into this poem.Works Cited:A Brief Guide to RomanticismThe Lake PoetsLyrical Ballads – William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge – Aff LinkSense and Sensibility – Jane Austen – Aff LinkRomanticism vs. NeoclassicismThe Last of the Mohicans – 1992William WordsworthSamuel Taylor ColeridgeDorothy WordsworthDove CottageRobert SoutheyThomas De QuincyJohn KeatsPercy Bysshe ShelleyTales from Shakespeare – Charles Lamb and Mary LambJohn RuskinHarriet MartineauThe Lake Isle of Innisfree – William Butler YeatsSonnets from the Portuguese 20: Beloved, my Beloved, when I think – Elizabeth Barrett BrowningSonnets from the Portuguese – Elizabeth Barrett Browning – Full Book Aff LinkThe Passionate Shepherd to His Love – Christopher MarloweHartley Coleridge Poetic InversionAurora Leigh – Elizabeth Barrett BrowningFrankenstein – Mary Shelley – Aff LinkI Wandered Lonely as a Cloud – William WordsworthFollow Us:YouTubeTikTokInstagramAngela’s Instagram
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59:59
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59:59
The Fairytale Diction of Enchanted
We are finally covering a song from Speak Now! I’m so sorry to all the Speak Now stans that it took this long, but we got here. Uncle Jerry takes us through Taylor’s word choice throughout Enchanted, and how it reveals the specific fairy tale inspiration behind the song. Angela explains the lore of this being Taylor’s only completely self-written album and the moment that inspired the song. Works Cited:Trochee / Trochaic MeterSmiling Faces Sometimes – The Undisputed TruthWe Wear the Mask – Paul Laurence DunbarCaesuraMending Wall – Robert FrostIndirect DiscourseMetonymySome Enchanted Evening – South PacificFollow Us:YouTubeTikTokInstagramAngela’s Instagram
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52:58
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52:58
The Gothic Tradition of The Black Dog
In this episode, we dig into one of most requested songs of late, The Black Dog. Taylor Swift mentioned in an interview that no one really understood this song, so we got Uncle Jerry on the case. Tune in to hear his take!Works Cited:Roland Barthes – The Death of The AuthorShe Walks in Beauty – Lord ByronThe Hound of the Baskervilles – Sir Arthur Conan Doyle – Aff LinkThe Malleus Maleficarum – Heinrich Kramer, James Sprenger – Aff LinkFor The Love of London Pubs – Doug Harper, Vic Norman, Andie Lafrentz – Aff LinkThe Pub: A Cultural Institution – Pete Brown – Aff LinkPolysyndetonOf Mice and Men – John Steinbeck – Aff LinkTo a Mouse – Robert BurnsFollow Us:YouTubeTikTokInstagramAngela’s Instagram
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1:11:07
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1:11:07
The Loss of Youth and Innocence in Peter
Well friends, I think we did it. Stay all the way to the end for a big surprise out of Uncle Jerry.In this episode, we're covering one of Angela's favorite TTPD tracks, Peter. Uncle Jerry finds layer after layer in the poem, and decides that this is a beautiful, melancholic reflection on the loss of innocence and youth, told through the lens of Peter Pan.Works Cited:Peter Pan - the Original 1911 Classic – J.M. Barrie – Aff LinkIllustrated Peter Pan: Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens – J.M. Barrie – Aff LinkThe Dead Poets Society (1989)I'm sorry for the Dead—Today – Emily Dickinson This Is Just To Say – William Carlos WilliamsIn Just – Spring – e.e. cummings Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening – Robert FrostLove's Labor's Lost – William Shakespeare Lyric VideoPeter Surprise SongFollow Us:YouTubeTikTokInstagramAngela’s Instagram
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57:10
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57:10
The Traditional Tropes of Love Story
We’re taking it back to high school this week and exploring the country phenomenon that is Love Story. This is our first track from Fearless (2008), and Uncle Jerry explores all of the themes and tropes that are missing from the poem when compared to her current work, like complex metaphors and twisted idioms.Works Cited:Romeo and Juliet – William Shakespeare – Affiliate LinkCatullus – Roman PoetLet Us Live and Love (5) – CatullusThe Scarlet Letter – Nathaniel Hawthorne – Aff LinkEasy A (2010)Doctor Zhivago – Boris Pasternak – Aff LinkDeconstructionismFollow Us:YouTubeTikTokInstagramAngela’s Instagram
A weekly podcast exploring the lyrics, lore, and literary legacy of Taylor Swift. Hosted by Angela McDow, the Swiftie, and Dr. Jerry Coats, the Scholar, we read between the lines AND the liner notes. Join us each week for lyrical deep dive through Taylor Swift's eras.
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