黑料吃瓜

After listening to Taylor Swift鈥檚 2024 album 鈥淭he Tortured Poets Department,鈥� lecturer in 黑料吃瓜鈥檚 College of Professional Studies and Fine Arts experienced a deep connection to the lyrics. 

鈥淗er lyricism is very deep, poetic, and meaningful,鈥� said Sweeney. 鈥淚 think a lot of her songs and lyrics resonate with a lot of people, especially women.鈥�

The experience inspired Sweeney to create Swift Allusions: The Literary World of Taylor Swift, (HONOR 313). Introduced for fall 2024, the class offers an in-depth exploration of the music, lyrics, videos, personas, and aesthetics of the singer-songwriter, and calls upon students to analyze the multi-layered references present throughout Swift鈥檚 artistic works. 

Grace Grivetto, a third-year psychology major and student in the class, says 鈥淪wift Allusions鈥� has been an 鈥渆ngaging, gratifying, and eye-opening鈥� experience.

鈥淚 have always thought of Taylor Swift as a brilliant writer,鈥� Grivetto said. 鈥淗er songs are incredibly poetic and relatable. Having the opportunity to compare and contrast Swift鈥檚 music with famous literary works in an academic setting has been fascinating.鈥�

As someone who loves literature, Sweeney believes the literary references in Swift鈥檚 work are especially impactful. 鈥淧eople miss those references and miss out on the depth of the meaning behind them,鈥� she said.

鈥淭he focus of the class is to make connections between literature and her lyrics,鈥� said Sweeney, 鈥淏ut to also find specific lyrics that align with certain passages in the books.鈥�

Students in the class are studying classic works such as 鈥淭he Great Gatsby鈥� by F. Scott Fitzgerald, 鈥淭he Bell Jar鈥� by Sylvia Plath, and various works of Emily Dickinson and Patti Smith.

Grivetto鈥檚 favorite lesson so far has been comparing 鈥淭he Bell Jar鈥� to Swift鈥檚 album 鈥�1989.鈥� She found the similarities between the works especially fascinating because they are from vastly different time periods. 

鈥淏eing introduced to literary pieces I otherwise wouldn鈥檛 have picked up has been so interesting as well,鈥� Grivetto said. 鈥淚 feel that through comparing these books and poems to lyrics I relate to on a personal level, my literary analysis skills have improved greatly.鈥�

鈥淚 hope students will learn that art, whether it be an album or a book, if it鈥檚 well crafted and intentional 鈥� that is timeless,鈥� said Sweeney. 鈥淭he Emily Dickinson book that we鈥檙e reading is almost 100 years old, but it still has relevant topics, themes, and messages in it that we can still learn from today.鈥�

Sweeney said the class encourages students to think about how they can see themselves reflected in works of art and will explore themes such as how to handle grief or find grace in being alone, messages that she said can be found in both Swift and Dickinson鈥檚 work.

The class is largely discussion-based to create an interactive environment and a free exchange of ideas. Students sign up as 鈥渄iscussion leaders,鈥� and create questions and activities for the rest of the class.

鈥淭he students are very participatory, responsive, collaborative, and supportive of each other,鈥� said Sweeney. 鈥淚 have a great group of students.鈥�

Swift Allusions will not be offered in the spring 2025 semester, but Sweeney hopes to teach the class again next fall because of how enriching the unique curriculum has been for both herself and her students.