every literary reference in taylor swift's folklore and evermore, explained

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  • čas přidán 19. 06. 2024
  • from jane eyre and peter pan to rebecca and the great gatsby, both folklore and evermore are PACKED with references to books and poetry. be still my beating LITERATURE NERD HEART. o m g.
    follow me on social media for daily shenanigans :))
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    i wrote a book!! and it's out now!!
    waterstones: www.waterstones.com/book/the-...
    amazon: hyperurl.co/es29rr (whatever country you're in!!)
    video chapters:
    0:00 intro
    0:47 jane eyre and the invisible string
    1:34 the madwoman in the attic
    3:53 william wordsworth and the lake poets
    5:07 peter pan in cardigan
    5:35 robert frost's the road not taken
    6:40 emily dickinson and evermore
    7:14 rebecca in tolerate it
    8:56 the great gatsby in happiness
    9:49 the end bit
    subscriber count at time of upload: 235,976
    thanks very much for watching, don't forget to subscribe, and give the video a thumbs up if you enjoyed!!

Komentáře • 1,6K

  • @jack_edwards
    @jack_edwards  Před 3 lety +1454

    if u love books as much as i do, head to my instagram @jackbenedwards where i'm doing a giveaway to win a copy of Normal People: The Scripts as well as ANY. BOOK. OF. YOUR. CHOICE. -- all you have to do is comment the book you want and i'll send you it with a christmas card from me :) love u
    ALSO I’ve realised that the lyric I quoted from Google from evermore is actually a line from the beauty and the beast song evermore HOWEVER the song from Taylor’s album also has the lyric ‘for evermore’ so the point still stands!! but I am a big dumbie

    • @Sohamsta
      @Sohamsta Před 3 lety +5

      oh myyy- i’m on my way there right now !!

    • @Sohamsta
      @Sohamsta Před 3 lety +6

      entered! :))

    • @LW-ng1fl
      @LW-ng1fl Před 3 lety +19

      lol yeah i saw that and got really confused bc i was like the beast sang that

    • @derekwong8772
      @derekwong8772 Před 3 lety +1

      Now you've give me a reading list.

    • @tobistein6639
      @tobistein6639 Před 3 lety +6

      If you ever got to teach a literature class, using a pop culture framework like the evermore album would be a cool way to structure it! I'd love a literature course where we read and analyzed these books or excerpts from them.

  • @EmmaSmith-kx3mo
    @EmmaSmith-kx3mo Před 3 lety +3819

    hearing people talk about the things they’re passionate about is my FAVOURITE thing

    • @yinhannasjournal
      @yinhannasjournal Před 3 lety +18

      Same. 🥺🥺

    • @DeniseSantos-qe5ee
      @DeniseSantos-qe5ee Před 3 lety +21

      Same, it gives me so much life

    • @princessmanitari4993
      @princessmanitari4993 Před 2 lety +13

      May i present you: neurodivers people, most autistics and adhd/add like me can talk for like 5 hours because nobody ever asks us

    • @jpmaico07
      @jpmaico07 Před 2 lety +2

      same!!

    • @velv3ts
      @velv3ts Před rokem +5

      u should befriend neurodivergent ppl with hyperfixations or special interests. we will talk ab that shit for years on end

  • @juliakolasa1075
    @juliakolasa1075 Před 3 lety +3802

    I never knew I needed a literary analysis of Taylor Swift but here I am

    • @Azizahfm
      @Azizahfm Před 3 lety +1

      I just posted a cover of myself singing a mash-up of All too well X Champagne Problems X Out of the woods, I would really appreciate it if you check it out

    • @rafaelfijos3385
      @rafaelfijos3385 Před 3 lety +30

      Me too, bruh. And people still think she is >just< a pop icon made by the industry

    • @Alexfolledemoi
      @Alexfolledemoi Před 3 lety +14

      She really outdid herself with these 2 albums 😅

    • @downlikesixthirty5801
      @downlikesixthirty5801 Před 3 lety +1

      I guess that's one of the benifits of having an English bf 😆

    • @corneliastreet2491
      @corneliastreet2491 Před 3 lety +7

      Look up “English Teacher KP” on CZcams. She’s amazing, does a lot of literary analysis and also breaking down of TS, Hamilton, and a couple other well known artists. You can tell she teaches high school English because she makes it really fun ✨

  • @nyurma_eden
    @nyurma_eden Před 3 lety +1394

    If only people could think Taylor must have used book references instead of thinking which ex s she's referring to. She is a lyricist genius and I just love her and you

    • @lauramatalebot7698
      @lauramatalebot7698 Před rokem +13

      Looking up the genius lyrics at the same time as watching this video, jack is talking about beautiful well thought out references and genius lyrics are relating the same lines to her exes

    • @allazwawi9586
      @allazwawi9586 Před rokem +3

      But she did say folklore and evermore was story time whereas her other albums were self motivated

  • @cheesecakelasagna
    @cheesecakelasagna Před 2 lety +1831

    Invisible string also reminds me of that Chinese folklore, *"Red string/thread of fate."* It's about how each of us has an invisible red string tied to our finger and it ends in someone else's.

    • @mariyakulyk7217
      @mariyakulyk7217 Před 2 lety +9

      Isn't it Japanese?
      However, that is a grear idea!

    • @sheilawidjaja7331
      @sheilawidjaja7331 Před 2 lety +65

      @@mariyakulyk7217 Japanese culture adopts a lot from Chinese culture.

    • @neontoes
      @neontoes Před 2 lety +52

      Yeah the Red String of Fate was the motif of an anime called Your Name too. A beautiful movie btw

    • @delmicortave
      @delmicortave Před 2 lety +4

      Aaw that's so cute and romantic 😃

    • @katysmith
      @katysmith Před 2 lety +1

      @@mariyakulyk7217 I’ll

  • @alishawalton7731
    @alishawalton7731 Před 3 lety +4242

    in her interview for apple music she actually admits that she wrote tolerate it after reading Rebecca so

    • @jack_edwards
      @jack_edwards  Před 3 lety +1339

      OMG I'M BUZZING WITH THIS

    • @jack_edwards
      @jack_edwards  Před 3 lety +1562

      THIS IS MY GREATEST ACHIEVEMENT

    • @jaydaforbes1614
      @jaydaforbes1614 Před 3 lety +70

      She mentioned watching Jane Eyre

    • @julianamarback4972
      @julianamarback4972 Před 3 lety +109

      (not so) fun fact! There's this rumor that Daphne du maurier may had have acess to "the successor" ("A sucessora" is the original book title), a book written by a brazilian author four years prior the release of "Rebecca". Those books have REALLY SIMILAR plots. Carolina Nabuco (the author), seeing how sucessful "A sucesssora" was in Brazil, sent an english copy of the book to her international agents, but didn't score any deals. Then, a few years latter, "Rebecca" was released. So, basically, there's a chance that "Rebecca" is kind of plagiarism

    • @giovannaborgh2020
      @giovannaborgh2020 Před 3 lety +42

      I just started reading Rebecca because of this video and right at the beginning, there's a HUGE reference to "IVY" !!!!! OMG!!!

  • @iJamieM
    @iJamieM Před 3 lety +3399

    My favourite thing are people who didn’t expect this kind of lyricism from Taylor, like I’m sorry y’all clearly didn’t listen to Speak Now ie. the ENTIRELY SELF WRITTEN album she made at 19/20 years of age... Miss Swift’s pen game is something that should never be questioned

    • @recklessmermaid
      @recklessmermaid Před 3 lety +135

      Yes. I haven't always been a fan but i've always had to hand it to her - she's a good songwriter, and that's what's carried her to this point.

    • @dajag50
      @dajag50 Před 3 lety +69

      Yes, Speak Now has some of my favorite songs by her!

    • @marshmallows394
      @marshmallows394 Před 3 lety +76

      i mean, she’s not artist of the decade for no reason

    • @arrietty1619
      @arrietty1619 Před 3 lety +10

      She’s magic

    • @TalkAsSoftAsChalk
      @TalkAsSoftAsChalk Před 3 lety +124

      Folklore and Evermore are exactly the kind of albums I would have expected the artist who wrote Speak Now to write later on in her career. It feels like an extremely natural progression. "I'll watch your life in pictures like I used to watch you sleep and I'll feel you forget me like I used to feel you breathe" THIS GIRL HAS ALWAYS BEEN A LYRICAL GENIUS!!!

  • @gillianzperkins
    @gillianzperkins Před 3 lety +2274

    Taylor would love this video :D

    • @Alexfolledemoi
      @Alexfolledemoi Před 3 lety +35

      Manifesting for her to see it one day, because she would totally love it!
      🙏🕯️🙏🕯️🙏🕯️🙏🕯️🙏🕯️

    • @yinhannasjournal
      @yinhannasjournal Před 3 lety +4

      Absolutely!

  • @victoria_bongiorno
    @victoria_bongiorno Před 3 lety +1534

    Love this. One you didn't mention: "Isn't it so pretty to think" is likely an allusion to the last line of Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises: "Isn't it pretty to think so?" It's about the dream of what a relationship that will never happen might have been.

    • @tennisschu
      @tennisschu Před 3 lety +8

      I was expecting this one too!

    • @schweii31
      @schweii31 Před 3 lety +5

      Yes been thinking this since album dropped!

    • @sidt1036
      @sidt1036 Před 3 lety +8

      This was the first and favorite reference of mine that I noticed. “Isn’t it pretty to think so?”

    • @mariajoao5243
      @mariajoao5243 Před 3 lety

      The whole book is about that or just that line?

    • @zoe-maefaulkner100
      @zoe-maefaulkner100 Před 3 lety +20

      "It's about the dream of what a relationship that will never happen"
      This reminds me of the line in Gold Rush "the coastal town we never found will never see a love as pure as it"

  • @fernandaroig2964
    @fernandaroig2964 Před 3 lety +3458

    One of my best friends is writing her dissertation on Taylor Swift and Sylvia Plath and the topic of confessional poetry and she’s probably gonna nerd out so hard over this.

  • @anajulianocera1406
    @anajulianocera1406 Před 3 lety +1173

    And then in Cardigan it says "chasing shadows in the grocery lines" which is also a reference to Peter Pan

    • @anajulianocera1406
      @anajulianocera1406 Před 3 lety +174

      Also, The Great Gatsby is referenced in rep: "feeling so Gatsby for that whole year" and "I once was poison ivy but now I'm your daisy"

    • @shay3787
      @shay3787 Před 3 lety +57

      Yes!! Noticed that one too Peter literally has a shadow! I think Betty (the cardigan girl) thought that her story with James would end like Peter and Wendy’s. Her losing him but still wishing he’d comeback to her one day looking for signs of him (chasing shadows in the grocery line) James did try to get Betty back tho unlike Peter Pan.

  • @gabrielamolina3523
    @gabrielamolina3523 Před 3 lety +270

    Also my tears ricochet and the Wuthering Heights, when the lyrics "You know I didn't want to have to haunt you" and "You had to kill me, but it killed you just the same/Cursing my name, wishing I stayed / Look how my tears ricochet" it seems a lot like what Heathcliff says to Cathy "Catherine Earnshaw, may you not rest as long as I am living; you said I killed you-haunt me, then! The murdered do haunt their murderers, I believe. I know that ghosts have wandered on earth."

    • @ellenmccrudden
      @ellenmccrudden Před rokem +7

      and also the part in evermore where she says “staring out an open window catching my death” reminds me of wuthering heights as well

  • @TokyoBlue587
    @TokyoBlue587 Před 3 lety +539

    Thank you for pointing out that the whole “mad woman” stereotype (which Taylor is obviously making fun of in the song), was historically a sexist attitude aimed at discrediting women. I am a feminist and I love that Taylor is, too! I love Folklore and Evermore. Thanks for this literary analysis, very good.

  • @MollyThompsonx_
    @MollyThompsonx_ Před 3 lety +3822

    This is literally the video I have been waiting to watch since the album came out and if you wanna do a part 2 I’d very much enjoy it😅

    • @lovemovies598
      @lovemovies598 Před 3 lety +14

      Definitely...one of the most interesting videos I’ve watched

  • @kirstyfraser7792
    @kirstyfraser7792 Před 3 lety +1599

    Looking at the ‘Peter loosing Wendy’ line in cardigan, with can be seen to be Betty’s perspective, is interesting as Cardigan has the lines ‘When you are young they assume you know nothing’ while in Betty James says ‘I’m only 17, I don’t know anything.’ I feel like you could take this to mean that while Betty was ready to grow up, live life and go beyond, James wasn’t ready for that, make teenage mistakes and felt comfort in not growing up, much like Peter Pan. So the whole ‘you tried to change the ending’ seems so much more significant especially when think to James’s party apology.

    • @Leonacharissacallon
      @Leonacharissacallon Před 3 lety +18

      This

    • @ssanchez098
      @ssanchez098 Před 3 lety +30

      this needs more attention

    • @Azizahfm
      @Azizahfm Před 3 lety

      I just posted a cover of myself singing a mash-up of All too well X Champagne Problems X Out of the woods, I would really appreciate it if you check it out

    • @chelseac8855
      @chelseac8855 Před 3 lety +39

      The song ‘August’ sounds like the perspective of the ‘other woman’ James spends the summer with because he mentions that “She said James get in” and in August she sings “I pulled up and said get in the car”

    • @Leonacharissacallon
      @Leonacharissacallon Před 3 lety +31

      @@chelseac8855 it is from the other girls perspective! Taylor confirmed it

  • @megumichan100
    @megumichan100 Před 3 lety +248

    My tears ricochet definitely also screams a Bronte novel, Wuthering Heights.

    • @animikhachowdhury10a87
      @animikhachowdhury10a87 Před 3 lety +4

      That's just what I thought!

    • @lfior
      @lfior Před 3 lety +3

      @@animikhachowdhury10a87 Why? Asking out of curiosity!!

    • @animikhachowdhury10a87
      @animikhachowdhury10a87 Před 3 lety +27

      @@lfior The plot is different, but some lines reminded me of some parts of the novel. Like " And when you can't sleep at night, you'll hear my stolen lullabies" and especially "Cursing my name, wishing I stayed
      You turned into my worst fears
      And you're tossing out blame
      Drunk on this pain
      Crossing out the good years" It was so similar to Heathcliffe's whole revenge thing. Obviously, the song implied that the other person had killed the narrator, but some parts really had a Wuthering Heights vibe.

    • @impostersyndrome18
      @impostersyndrome18 Před 3 lety +4

      wow, I had not realized it initially but when I read your comment I totally got it! thanks for pointing this out, wuthering heights is one of my favourite books and I'm a huge swiftie!!

    • @tylerkilloran2439
      @tylerkilloran2439 Před 3 lety +5

      I could definitely see this but I’m inclined to believe this one is based upon the Dickinson poem- I felt a funeral, in my brain.
      My tears ricochet has the same theme of somehow being awake and present at your own funeral and I thought of the Dickinson poem immediately when I hear the song. I also think it’s likely because she has heavily referenced her before

  • @kaylycoleman9956
    @kaylycoleman9956 Před 3 lety +122

    A lyric from Ivy, “I’d meet you where the spirit meets the bone” is a reference to both an album by Lucinda Williams, and the poem “Compassion” by her father Miller Williams.

  • @emmathestrup4416
    @emmathestrup4416 Před 3 lety +326

    In "Champagne Problems", she sings about a woman who turns down a proposal and people claim that "she's fucked in the head" and that she is a mad woman. Nearing the end of the song she says "but you'll find the real thing instead, she'll patch up the tapestry that I shred" which I believe to be a reference to The Yellow Wallpaper as well

  • @memoriaedanae9194
    @memoriaedanae9194 Před 3 lety +1571

    I'm quite certain these are all books beside Joe Alwyn's bed 😅
    "Now I've read all of the books beside your bed" - Paper Rings, Lover

  • @hannahme1930
    @hannahme1930 Před 3 lety +316

    In "Ivy", Taylor also alludes to "opal eyes", which could be a reference to Shakespeare's Twelfth Night: "thy mind is a very opal". The character of Orsino being described here is presented as confused and dillusional about the identity of his love, thus Taylor suggests that her love here is similarly a fantasy.
    *drops mic*

    • @txmie
      @txmie Před rokem +1

      Opal ❤

  • @c.y.i7229
    @c.y.i7229 Před 3 lety +424

    ‘'Cause I fell from the pedestal
    Right down the rabbit hole’
    It is a line from ‘Long Story Short’. I wonder if it is from ‘Alice in Wonderland’🤭

    • @alaiamoore5071
      @alaiamoore5071 Před 3 lety +12

      omfgggg i thought about this too

    • @TheMidnightcool
      @TheMidnightcool Před 3 lety +73

      She also has a song off 1989 (arguably, her highest pedestal era-wise) called 'Wonderland' chock full of Alice in Wonderland references. This could be her hinting at which period she fell. (And as we know, 2016, the year after she finished her 1989 tour, was when all the drama went down)

    • @c.y.i7229
      @c.y.i7229 Před 3 lety +18

      @@TheMidnightcool Flashing lights and we,took a wrong turn and we, FELL DOWN A RABBIT HOLE🕳 !!

    • @c.y.i7229
      @c.y.i7229 Před 3 lety +1

      That is why I love Tay so much😭

    • @ananya6094
      @ananya6094 Před 3 lety +10

      Also the line "If the shoe fits walk in it..." I think is a reference from Cinderella

  • @Sohamsta
    @Sohamsta Před 3 lety +1157

    At this point, i think that every english teacher looks up to Jack as their idol 🤩

    • @aulbayne
      @aulbayne Před 3 lety +3

      Hello again lol 😂

    • @Sohamsta
      @Sohamsta Před 3 lety +2

      @@aulbayne oh hello there HAHA!!

    • @anajulianocera1406
      @anajulianocera1406 Před 3 lety +9

      I as an english teacher can confirm that

    • @hopetikvah4906
      @hopetikvah4906 Před 3 lety +7

      My English teacher showed us one of his videos the other day :)

    • @Sohamsta
      @Sohamsta Před 3 lety +1

      @@hopetikvah4906 ahahaha i’m not surprised 😂

  • @TimothyLam
    @TimothyLam Před 3 lety +542

    I can now die peacefully knowing that Jack made a Taylor Swift related video.

  • @meowitsChloe
    @meowitsChloe Před 3 lety +293

    7:06 is a line from Evermore in Beauty and the Beast, not Taylor Swift’s evermore 😭PLS

    • @leec4849
      @leec4849 Před 3 lety +40

      i paused for like 8 seconds and scrolled down till i find this comment😂

    • @Maria-tp5sx
      @Maria-tp5sx Před 3 lety +38

      i was so confused like "lol I thought I knew the lyrics..."

    • @arrietty1619
      @arrietty1619 Před 3 lety +2

      hahhaha fail

    • @leximae8008
      @leximae8008 Před 3 lety +2

      that’s exactly what I was thinking

    • @downlikesixthirty5801
      @downlikesixthirty5801 Před 3 lety +14

      and the line in the beginning is from invisible string, but the caption was cardigan

  • @Not_a_muggle
    @Not_a_muggle Před rokem +16

    "A single thread of gold tied me to you"
    I love the fact that she references the string. In mythologies it is Red but Taylor describes it as golden for her. And it is because through out her life she thought love was 'burning red' but she realized that 'it's golden'. Which is a reference to her lines from Daylight.
    "I once believed love would be burning red, but it's golden like daylight'
    Also her saying "tried to change the ending Peter losing Wendy" is not only a reference. In the Folklore love triangle, James loses Betty because he 'only seventeen and didn't know anything' but Betty 'knew everything when she was young' which are their lyrics "I'm only seventeen, I don't know anything"- James from the song Betty and "I knew everything when I was young"- which is Betty from Cardigan. And guess what, why Peter and Wendy separated? because he never wanted to grow while Wendy did, it is a parallel to James' and Betty's relationship.
    And we have the lyrics "To kiss in car and downtown bar was all I needed" This also adds to the same idea. In many countries you can drink and drive after the age of 17. And Betty wanted James to cross the age, because again 'I'm only 17, I don't anything' and Betty 'I knew everything when I was young'
    There are so many parallels like the "You'd be standing on my front porch light" from Cardigan to "Betty I'm here on your doorstep"
    Also the 'Meet me behind the mall' from August sounds very much like 'meet me behind them all' because August and James were having an illicit affair.
    James calling his and August's relationship as 'Just a summer thing' while August called it 'summer love is heartbreaking T-T
    Then there is this lyric which James says from Betty song "I was walking home on broken cobblestones. Just thinking of you when she pulled up like. A figment of my worst intentions. She said "James, get in, let's drive"" is parallel to when August says it in her song which is "Remember when I pulled up and said, "Get in the car""
    There are many more genius things Tay has done in Folklore and Evermore and I can go forevermore talking about it. She is truly a lyrical genius!

  • @carolinaghizzocandemil3703
    @carolinaghizzocandemil3703 Před 3 lety +260

    This guy is so precious, you can actually tell he’s genually excited about all those literature stuff

  • @bereniceestrada7076
    @bereniceestrada7076 Před 3 lety +828

    Honestly, create a **Modern Society and Literature: Taylor Swift** class at a university already... and pls teach it lol anyways, awesome video!!

    • @followthyomens93z
      @followthyomens93z Před 3 lety +10

      I would so sign up for that istg and im not even a hardcore fan of both! It’s just so satisfying listening to jack speak his heart out.

    • @Mariam-cn6cm
      @Mariam-cn6cm Před 3 lety

      YES YES YES

    • @biancacosta1519
      @biancacosta1519 Před 3 lety +1

      YES ALL THE YES WHY HAVENT THEY DONE THIS ALREADY

    • @lotusmiragemusic
      @lotusmiragemusic Před 3 lety

      YES.

    • @ellay2715
      @ellay2715 Před 2 lety +1

      Actually NYU is teaching a course on Taylor which has me so upset that I didn’t go to NYU

  • @iwannacookyourbrains
    @iwannacookyourbrains Před 3 lety +259

    Me, being a Harrie, and a Swiftie and having a heart of literature, suddenly become a fan of yours

  • @annkuthakur564
    @annkuthakur564 Před 3 lety +110

    I am so glad this video exists. People discredit Taylor's songwriting genius so casually. Its painfully UNBEARABLE !!! I have always loved the depth in her songs and its just so important people acknowledge that.

  • @user-rr2ep3gt5p
    @user-rr2ep3gt5p Před 3 lety +624

    To add, Wordsworth wrote a poem called "The Idiot Boy" which addresses a woman named Betty. It was probably unintentional, but then again it's Taylor so...

    • @emilymacdougall184
      @emilymacdougall184 Před 3 lety +25

      I think the more widely accepted theory is all of the names in Betty are the names of Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively's children - so maybe just a nice coincidence?

    • @user-rr2ep3gt5p
      @user-rr2ep3gt5p Před 3 lety +44

      @@emilymacdougall184 yeah but Taylor did mention she read a lot in quarantine. If she name drops a poet I'm sure she has read his work. Buth then again, maybe it is a coincidence. They revolve around Taylor lol. The Christmas Tree Farm name plate, which is probably older than Taylor, has 13 trees 😂

    • @Splodgeit03
      @Splodgeit03 Před 3 lety +24

      @@emilymacdougall184 Phoebe in Friends also sang a song about a love triangle and one of the women was called Betty so, that wouldn't surprise me because Taylor loves Friends

    • @brookequaid1935
      @brookequaid1935 Před 3 lety +25

      It’s not a coincidence. Wordsworths sister was named Dorothea and she literally has a song on Evermore called Dorothea.

    • @brookequaid1935
      @brookequaid1935 Před 3 lety +4

      @@user-rr2ep3gt5p it’s not a coincidence. William Wordsworths sister was named Dorothea.

  • @aprajitasingh9802
    @aprajitasingh9802 Před 3 lety +368

    Oh my god...I loved the Great Gatsby reference she put in "Happiness" I kept telling whoever would listen about it😂
    Taylor must really love the novel & it's characters, she has also refrenced to it in Reputation; "Feeling so Gatsby for that whole year" "Once was poison Ivy, now I'm your Daisy"
    Folklore & Evermore are lyrical masterpieces, her ability to put people in the middle of a scene, in the story, right where she wants them to be really shines in these album✨😍
    Great video...gonna read/ re read these books again😁✨📚

    • @outofcuriosity3203
      @outofcuriosity3203 Před 3 lety +4

      I'm not sure if the green light mentioned in Holy Ground is a also a Gatsby reference

  • @rat2534
    @rat2534 Před 3 lety +39

    one thing i love about the peter and wendy reference is that in the song betty, which is from the boy’s point of view, he says “i’m only seventeen, i don’t know anything” but in cardigan, which is from the girl’s point of view, she says “when you are young they assume you know nothing” implying that she did know more than him, so she was more mature while he was more childish, like peter and wendy. this is also reflected in the fact that cardigan has more big fancy words and talks about politics and generally more mature things, while in betty the boy mentions skateboarding, parties, and school, which could be seen generally as more childish.

  • @jean_the_bean
    @jean_the_bean Před 3 lety +88

    i can just imagine a school where all the classes are studying like shakespeare and 18th century poetry, and then that 1 class is just vibing studying taylor swift lmfao

  • @charlottedunner7770
    @charlottedunner7770 Před 3 lety +174

    you know you're a Taylor Swift fan and an English Lit student if you smiled all through the video ☺️

    • @simranbhatla6030
      @simranbhatla6030 Před 3 lety +8

      Charlotte Dunner I'm not an English lit student but I'm he biggest bookworm and the BIGGEST swiftie so hell yes I did

    • @Clementine3107
      @Clementine3107 Před 3 lety +2

      @@simranbhatla6030 same

    • @heensx2331
      @heensx2331 Před 3 lety +1

      @@simranbhatla6030 SAME

  • @damassss
    @damassss Před 3 lety +194

    If you make an in depth analysis and breakdown of each of the songs in the albums from a literary point of view, it would be amazing! All those complicated vocabulary and metaphor she uses just begs for an analysis

    • @nj1720
      @nj1720 Před 3 lety +6

      Go check out English teacher KP she is an English teacher and she did just that to many of her songs already :)

    • @thelavanyajain
      @thelavanyajain Před 2 lety +4

      @@nj1720guess who was literally about to comment this-

    • @jacelyn2635
      @jacelyn2635 Před 2 lety +1

      @@nj1720 lol I was just about to say that

  • @sarawilliams382
    @sarawilliams382 Před 2 lety +41

    As an english grad student, I will say that those literary references and explanations are💯💯. Love to see how people recognize literature/pop culture merging

  • @nothanks2575
    @nothanks2575 Před 3 lety +73

    “Without giving too much away” tells the entire plot of the book LMAOO

  • @shreyatanna9099
    @shreyatanna9099 Před 3 lety +131

    As a swiftie and a Jack Edwards stan you have no idea how excited I am to watch this OMGGGG

  • @caitlincharlotte2419
    @caitlincharlotte2419 Před 3 lety +64

    "the nerdiest video you have ever seen" this is everything I've wanted and more! A mash-up of my two favourite people! what more can you want?!!? I really hope Taylor sees this video

  • @alohasargent
    @alohasargent Před rokem +12

    Another one to add: Cowboy Like Me may be an allusion to The Most Dangerous Game by Richard Connell (1924). In that famous short story, the hunter becomes the hunted, while in Taylor's song, the con artists get conned (by fate/love). Taylor even says right at the beginning "dancing is a dangerous game"

  • @dancincoolkid
    @dancincoolkid Před 2 lety +39

    i was also reminded of "where the crawdads sing" when i heard "no body no crime;" i know now that taylor has read the book and is apparently writing some songs for the movie adaptation starring daisy edgar-jones. but when i first heard it i couldn't help but think of kaya getting her well-deserved revenge.

    • @anjalishah2925
      @anjalishah2925 Před rokem +1

      Omg. No Body No Crime sounds like blend of Where The Crawdads Sing and Gone Girl.

  • @reema4208
    @reema4208 Před 3 lety +62

    well she said in a recent interview that she watched lots of film during quarantine before writing folklore and one of them is jane eyre

    • @jack_edwards
      @jack_edwards  Před 3 lety +17

      O M F G

    • @silverkyre
      @silverkyre Před 3 lety +10

      Im so conviced Cowboy like me is about Breakfast at Tiffanys.

  • @Sophia-cd2ci
    @Sophia-cd2ci Před 3 lety +396

    The lyrics for 'Evermore' I think are from the wrong Evermore (a song by the same name from live-action Beauty and the Beast, rather than T Swift's new single). Easy to mix up when googling lyrics or songs. Absolutely incredible video in every other way : )

    • @adyalonsane1070
      @adyalonsane1070 Před 3 lety +36

      I was looking for this comment

    • @abigailsmith8583
      @abigailsmith8583 Před 3 lety +12

      Came here looking for this comment!

    • @gabyhabchy1
      @gabyhabchy1 Před 3 lety +6

      Exactly!!!

    • @Azizahfm
      @Azizahfm Před 3 lety

      I just posted a cover of myself singing a mash-up of All too well X Champagne Problems X Out of the woods, I would really appreciate it if you check it out

    • @DavidBaral
      @DavidBaral Před 3 lety +12

      Thank you I thought I was going insane lol

  • @Erika-pq7ip
    @Erika-pq7ip Před 3 lety +29

    Taylor's writing style is just IMMACULATE and I'm proud to call myself a swiftie

  • @belindamorris2083
    @belindamorris2083 Před 3 lety +62

    Remember in Paper Rings when she said a “now I’ve read all of the books beside your bed”? William Bowery influences again

  • @emigrace
    @emigrace Před 3 lety +97

    Jack referring to the whole dramatic plot about Rochester in Jane Eyre as “men are trash, we know this” is so gloriously gen z I’m LIVING FOR THIS

  • @arezooizadi3345
    @arezooizadi3345 Před 3 lety +75

    I don't know how to thank Taylor for making my literary nerd self this satisfied and delighted.

  • @sofiaostropolsky1509
    @sofiaostropolsky1509 Před 2 lety +27

    Hey Jack! I just finished Conversations With Friends and realized that it's literally August by Taylor. Every single piece of the song fits perfectly with the book. Mind blowing.

  • @louisondessus
    @louisondessus Před 2 lety +30

    adding to the string motif and how i interpret it: in chinese folklore there is a tale called the red string of fate (姻緣紅線). essentially, people who are destined to be together, soulmates, are tied together by a red string around their finger and will eventually meet. the cord can stretch and tangle, but is unbreakable

  • @agustinvidal5072
    @agustinvidal5072 Před 3 lety +100

    OMG!! I´ve been a Swiftie forever but this is just out of this world, HER MIND! One could only dream of scrathing that level of lyricism.
    Furthermore, it was a truly fascinanting video, never have I ever before enjoyed a literature class but the way you explained it and felt passionate regarding it not only made it standable, but goddamn thriling. Thank you, fo revermore!

  • @carolineprince14
    @carolineprince14 Před 3 lety +130

    this ended way too fast... ANOTHER

  • @CW-26
    @CW-26 Před 3 lety +21

    You can see how passionate he is about this and it’s so great and joyful to see someone loving their chosen subject!!!!!!!!!

  • @babygirlel8472
    @babygirlel8472 Před 3 lety +9

    this is absolutely INSANE. the power this woman holds at this point; she’s literally THE music industry

  • @bethp7881
    @bethp7881 Před 3 lety +75

    This is my favorite kind of Jack’s videos - the depth, the effort ... I love it so much

  • @TheFlowerGirl77
    @TheFlowerGirl77 Před 3 lety +68

    Ok. This is one of my all time favourite videos Jack!!! The research, the background information but most importantly, the giddy excitability!!!!!! Just marvellous and I think we ALL hope Taylor does manage to see it because I think she would become a fast fan of Jack Edwards too!
    Truly fantastic Jack!!!!!!!
    Merry Christmas Jack🎄! We hope it comes Swiftly and includes lots of Styles. 😉

  • @abieccles6574
    @abieccles6574 Před 3 lety +13

    he’s so adorably passionate about this i love watching ppl talk abt their interests

  • @amandareadsss4128
    @amandareadsss4128 Před 3 lety +55

    I always thought of Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises when she sings Invisible string. Her lyric: "Isn't it just so pretty to think there was some invisible string.." and hemingways last line of the book "Isn't it pretty to think so?" (referencing a love)

  • @rox6772
    @rox6772 Před 3 lety +18

    As a fan, long term Swiftie, and English graduate, all I can say is I LOVED THIS! ❤️❤️

  • @lewp5357
    @lewp5357 Před 3 lety +36

    I also think the line "A red rose grew up out of ice frozen ground" on the Lakes might be a call back to Salvador Dali's Meditative Rose painting. Earlier in tlgad she refers to playing card games with Dali. - not literature but Art I know but still cool.

  • @luciabrana8787
    @luciabrana8787 Před 3 lety +41

    And Ivy is probably written from Sue's point of view to Emily Dickinson!!! OMG I love her mind so much 💖

    • @silverkyre
      @silverkyre Před 3 lety +3

      That makes so much sense

    • @aishaaaaa_222
      @aishaaaaa_222 Před 6 měsíci

      YES. and it’s so genius because we have poems of Emily about Sue but we never heard Sue’s perspective 😭😭😭😭😭😭

  • @elmire315
    @elmire315 Před 3 lety +1

    THIS IS SO GOOD! PLEASE KEEP MAKING THEM, TELL US MORE

  • @djekwodn3747
    @djekwodn3747 Před 3 lety +141

    i’m probably mistaken but i thought the line “when did your winning smile begin to look like a smirk” might’ve been a reference to the great gatsby too ?

    • @Anne-id2zt
      @Anne-id2zt Před 3 lety +3

      Omg.

    • @ahttacca
      @ahttacca Před 3 lety +1

      i am to read this book yet, so what does the line reference to if you don’t mind me asking?

    • @clarisse3174
      @clarisse3174 Před 3 lety +32

      ​@@ahttacca I believe it's referencing Gatsby's infamous smile - “He smiled understandingly--much more than understandingly", which Nick describes as “one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it, that you may come across four or five times in life. It faced--or seemed to face--the whole external world for an instant, and then concentrated on you with an irresistible prejudice in your favor. ” (from Chapter 3).
      Gatsby's "winning" dreams and smile is what ultimately draws Nick to Gatsby - and while these dreams are often fanciful and overly idealistic, they're what redeems Gatsby as a character, making him intriguing (to Nick and the readers) and Gatsby's own life worth LIVING. but... having such unrealistic dreams is also Gatsby's fatal flaw, where he has created this whole false life and persona just to impress other people - which might be why his smile "begins to look like" a smirk - something more ominous + secretive, alluding to Gatsby's (and the wider American upper class)'s obsession with status and their willingness to uphold facades just to fit in. hope this helps!

    • @nicoleseltmann2922
      @nicoleseltmann2922 Před 3 lety +1

      omg i love that point

    • @melliexcx
      @melliexcx Před 3 lety +2

      @@clarisse3174 bravo. 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽

  • @justluc8556
    @justluc8556 Před 3 lety +19

    Your content is becoming increasingly more and more iconic, I love it

  • @user-pg3de9qx8d
    @user-pg3de9qx8d Před 3 lety +4

    I appreciate your enthusiasm for literature and all of your explanations of the books' plots as well as of the words you defined and of other things, like who the lake poets were. I've learned a lot watching this, so thank you so much for this video!

  • @yanajokyani7259
    @yanajokyani7259 Před 3 lety +1

    this video made my day! thank you so much for linking two of my favorite things - taylor swift and literature

  • @hattiesimpson8166
    @hattiesimpson8166 Před 3 lety +104

    I’m pretty sure that ‘waiting by an open door I’ll fool myself, she’ll walk right in and be with me for evermore’ is a lyrics from the song evermore from beauty and the beast rather than evermore by Taylor Swift ft. Bon Iver. Love the video by the way :)

    • @themightykoala3611
      @themightykoala3611 Před 3 lety +3

      I noticed that too. 😅 Nevertheless, I love everything about the vid

    • @pamellajademartinez2665
      @pamellajademartinez2665 Před 3 lety +2

      I knew it haha it sounded disney

    • @emmadempsey8818
      @emmadempsey8818 Před 3 lety +3

      Yes! I was thinking those lyrics weren’t Taylor’s, then I looked it up and realised in was disney

  • @aliceverzelloni8435
    @aliceverzelloni8435 Před 3 lety +3

    THIS IS THE MOST INTERESTING VIDEO ON THE INTERNET (it's a tie with your harry styles references video tbh)
    PLS WE NEED AN ENTIRE SERIES

  • @zuziaa434
    @zuziaa434 Před 2 lety +1

    this is my feel-good video. literally lives in my mind rent free and i would love to more of these kinds of analyses

  • @user-bw8qi4oe6x
    @user-bw8qi4oe6x Před 3 lety +2

    this video was so fun to watch!! ive always loved to watch people nerd out over the things they're passionate about - thank you so much for making this video, i can see that you put a lot of efforts on it and us swifties really appreaciate it!! much love

  • @arezooizadi3345
    @arezooizadi3345 Před 3 lety +38

    I spent 11 minutes worrying the laptop would fall on the ground :D

  • @kadirkadir7193
    @kadirkadir7193 Před 3 lety +10

    OMFG THANK YOU!!! Wasn’t expecting that!!!

  • @whateverbabe
    @whateverbabe Před 2 lety

    I loved it, I always love it when artists are inspired by books or literary works. These days I'm watching your videos, I plan to watch them all cause you're awesome, we never get bored with you.

  • @ayanpearl2174
    @ayanpearl2174 Před 3 lety +1

    I love how you are so cheerful and excited telling us about all of Taylor Swift's references.. This is a an amazing video! I enjoyed it. Thank you! Bless you!

  • @josiejosie7420
    @josiejosie7420 Před rokem +4

    I'm dropping a comment here since I purely enjoy every little detail about his clip. Love Taylor, but I love the delicate analysis of her songs using literature more! Keep up the good work, Jack. You're indeed a talent!

  • @Rachel-ub3hv
    @Rachel-ub3hv Před 3 lety +85

    Taylor herself mentioned Tolerate It is referencing Rebecca on her recent Apple Music interview a few days ago!!:-) also 100% agree with your thoughts on mad woman and the yellow wallpaper. For me the idea of mad has a dual meaning of both valid anger but also how these valid emotions were commonly dismissed medically as some form of "madness," similar to the gaslighting she sings about in the song.

  • @aeri_taylors-version
    @aeri_taylors-version Před 3 lety

    omg i’ve always wanted to look for this. thankyou so much

  • @susiemurray8599
    @susiemurray8599 Před 3 lety

    everything about this video is perfect thank you so much for making this

  • @olivercoulthard5468
    @olivercoulthard5468 Před 3 lety +13

    The one on Harry was incredible so now I'm so ready for this

  • @aulbayne
    @aulbayne Před 3 lety +12

    Yay another one of these! Loved the one on Harry :)

  • @alfonsinafauda7799
    @alfonsinafauda7799 Před 3 lety

    Loved this video. Loved even more the fact that I found most of the references beforehand and my theories have been confirmed. Plus, loved your energy and looking forward to more videos

  • @Bonni3Madrid
    @Bonni3Madrid Před 3 lety

    omg i felt the chills everytime you explained a reference. It makes so much sense, i love this woman's mind, and as a big fan of the great gatsby and jane eyre, I think I got as excited as you aaaa

  • @charlottew1938
    @charlottew1938 Před 3 lety +145

    Jack: without giving too much away
    Also Jack: *spoils the twist in Rebecca without so much as a spoiler alert* 😂
    I know it’s quite a well known twist, but I managed to avoid it being spoiled and I read it last year and thought it was such an incredible book!

    • @RoTaylorsVersion
      @RoTaylorsVersion Před 3 lety +2

      I wish I had read this before 💔

    • @charlottew1938
      @charlottew1938 Před 3 lety +3

      @@RoTaylorsVersion Noo! 💔 I was going to give a friendly suggestion to Jack that he edit out the spoiler but figured it wasn’t really my business. Hopefully some people will do that thing where they read the comments first and will avoid the spoiler!

    • @rubyolive2538
      @rubyolive2538 Před 3 lety +8

      yeah that bummed me out :(( i have been meaning to read the book for ages now but never got round to it and now i'm a bit miffed it's been so completely spoiled lol. oh well, maybe i'll still read it anyway !

    • @abivanillareads9172
      @abivanillareads9172 Před 3 lety +4

      so annoyeddd

    • @stephapelvis
      @stephapelvis Před 3 lety +5

      Yeah I just started reading the book TODAY. Wish I saw this comment before watching the video. 😭😭

  • @reeyapanda8813
    @reeyapanda8813 Před 3 lety +11

    YOU CHANGED THE TITLE TO GRAMMY WINNING FOLKLORE SO TRUE BESTIE I STAN

  • @jessamine486
    @jessamine486 Před 2 lety

    This is one of the best videos I've seen lately, just fueling my book and Taylor obsession at the moment. I love her lyrics, especially those last two albums, getting me through right now. 🥰 I could have listened to a lot more book references in taylor swift songs !

  • @RubyintheSky
    @RubyintheSky Před 3 lety

    Okay this video just made everything about folklore and evermore even better. Thank youuu

  • @lotusmiragemusic
    @lotusmiragemusic Před 3 lety +11

    Taylor deserves a Nobel Prize for Literature for this

  • @dizaj.4755
    @dizaj.4755 Před 2 lety +5

    This is my absolute favourite vid of all time, bc
    1. Taylor Swift, absolute queen, legend, the music industry, etc. I stan her
    2. Jack Edwards, do I need to say more?

  • @zacvilanova322
    @zacvilanova322 Před 3 lety

    I've been binge watching your videos, and you made me realize that poetry can be the best way of getting back my groove of reading books (i lost the joy of it a few years ago). I made a cute list of poetry books and I'm thankful. Your content is organic and so good! Good job, man! Shout out from Brazil. ❤️

  • @infernalmochi7416
    @infernalmochi7416 Před 3 lety

    Every one of your videos I watch, I feel like I can rewatch them over and over again because I'm just IN LOVE with the way you talk! I haven't written a comment for any, until now, cause I couldn't decide on which one, but as a swiftie, I felt like I could finally write this in here and tell you.
    Gosh, never stop making videos and talking okay? Lol! There's this big enjoyable thing about it, also something that inspires me to read more and know more about literature.
    You're a true icon and Jack, your taste and words are 💫Immaculate💫🤌🏻

  • @randomgirl67
    @randomgirl67 Před 3 lety +11

    I swear every album Taylor makes she becomes more of an English teacher than a singer
    I love her 😂

  • @soyadise6235
    @soyadise6235 Před 3 lety +12

    "And in the time I've been filming this video, Taylor is probably writing another album" HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA BRUH.

  • @AngelLikesArt
    @AngelLikesArt Před 4 měsíci +1

    I’m honestly so hoping and predicting that TTPD has even more literary references and therefore really hoping you make another one of these videos as it is so interesting!

  • @Jkm7fh
    @Jkm7fh Před rokem

    Your enthusiasm is infectious and wonderful!

  • @caitlin4513
    @caitlin4513 Před 3 lety +4

    This is actually amazing Jack! I hope Taylor sees this ✌🏼

  • @user-zr7lm2de7m
    @user-zr7lm2de7m Před 3 lety +8

    “The road less traveled” was also used in “the outside” which is such an underrated song

  • @alexandarcossworth
    @alexandarcossworth Před 3 lety +1

    This is the type of content I wanna see! Great breakdown and you are also adorable :)

  • @meryemee2256
    @meryemee2256 Před 3 lety

    I reaally loooved this video!!! 💕💕💕 You're enthusiasm is EVERYTHING! And I personally think you'd have so much Fun analysing Hozier songs.

  • @HappyInTheHome405
    @HappyInTheHome405 Před 2 lety +4

    Her albums help me to explain my love for the arts. As a writer, I have a difficult time explaining my *utter joy* at knowing that art creates more art. It never ends.
    I wrote a poem while standing in a bookstore after being inspired by a book.
    Taylor creates poetry/lyrics from life, and literature.
    The idea for the novel I'm working on was sparked by one simple sentence in another book.
    *Art creates more art and I will never shut up about how cool that is.*

  • @Sayoi95
    @Sayoi95 Před 3 lety +4

    I'm loving these "literary references in music" videos💖 Tbh, I've never been a fan of Taylor and her music. It never really resonated with me up until she released Folklore and Evermore, and oh boy, I fell hard. I love when lyrics have references to art and literature, and I must admit that Taylor really has a knack for writing brilliant lyrics.

  • @josieskye3104
    @josieskye3104 Před 3 lety

    I'm loving this video series, it inspires me to make more time to read, thank you