By Victoria Valenzuela Avid Taylor Swift listeners, like me, believe that Taylor Swift's lyrics are just as poetic as Shakespeare's and many other poets and writers. When most people think of Taylor Swift, they think of a blonde, boy obsessed radio hit singer who only writes about common teenage girl problems. They think of Swift’s songs, like “Shake It Off” and “We Are Never Getting Back Together.” But the lyric complexity of many of her songs are incredible compared to so many other pop artists today, especially when considering her influence. Some people are even going as far as to calling Swift the “Shakespeare of our generation.” Below are a few gags from Twitter users about her lyricism: kadriye @tayspetsch taylor swift literally raised a whole generation who sings "and did the twin flame bruise paint you blue, just between us did the love affair maim you too?" tell me can shakespeare do it??? “Just remember, Taylor Swift could write Romeo and Juliet with a happy ending, but there’s no way Shakespeare could have written All Too Well,” said another user. Let’s compare some lyrics…
From first glance, many could assume these are both from Shakespeare. From the romantic, dark, mortal sweet lines, it’s really hard to tell the difference. However, they are both Swift’s lyrics. In fact much of Swift's work can be compared to Renaissance love poetry in itself. “How's one to know? I'd meet you where the spirit meets the bones. In a faith-forgotten land. In from the snow, your touch brought forth an incandescent glow, tarnished but so grand.” Can you guess it? Once again Ms. Taylor Swift’s lyrics from her song “Ivy.” Many seem to underestimate the lyrics and poetic devices used in her songs. By using alliteration, assonance, antithesis, enjambment, metonymy, metaphor, synecdoche, oxymoron, personification, and much more, Swift is able to tell stories in her songs very similarly to the flow of Shakespeare's sonnets. Here are some more examples. “All these people think loves for show, but I would die for you in secret” - ”Peace” “Walls of insincerity, drifting eyes and vacancy, vanished when I saw your face” - ”Enchanted” Taylor Swift also alludes to many other iconic poets and authors of the time. For instance, she has a line in a song called, “Happiness,” which reads, “I hope she'll be a beautiful fool who takes my spot next to you.” This is believed to be a reference to Daisy Buchanan from the Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, “I hope she’ll be a fool—that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool.” Another great perspective into Taylor Swift's influence is in “Jane Eyre,'' by Charlotte Brontë. In Swift's song “Invisible String”, she talks about fate between two people even when they’re not aware . In “Jane Eyre,” one of the most important themes in the story is the idea of a connection where fate plays a key role. “I sometimes have a queer feeling with regard to you – especially when you are near me, as now: it is as if I had a string somewhere under my left ribs.” Swift has said in interviews that her influences are not a coincidence. Along with this, Swift has also been heavily influenced by Emily Dickenson. When reading Dickesons poems, you can sometimes find a resemblance to some of Swift's lyrics. Such as in the poem “One Sister Have I In Our House.” There are also allusions to Robert Frost’s “ The Road Not Taken,” in a few of Swift’s songs as well. Swift's lyricism is frequently underappreciated. By being able to take old stories and poetry and transform them into relatable, heart wrenching lyrics, she brings a new light to literary gems from all time periods.
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