In this essay by high school student Anthony Daans (who kindly allowed me to give some feedback on his project), he argues for Taylor Swift as a modern Romantic poet, while also exploring some of the ways in which this persona might stand at odds with other aspects of Swift's career. Thank you so much,… Continue reading Taylor Swift: The New Romantic Poet
Category: Student work
Creative reflections on English Literature (Taylor’s Version)
As part of their final assignment for English Literature (Taylor's Version) - my Masters course at Ghent University - students have to prepare a 'reflection report'. This can take any form, and should be inspired by one or more aspects of the ten-week course. The results are endlessly creative, inspiring, and moving. I've shared a… Continue reading Creative reflections on English Literature (Taylor’s Version)
On being, and not being, The Man: modern-day vindications of gender rights
As preparation for one of our seminars in English Literature (Taylor's Version) — in which we look at connections between writing, gender, and power, focusing on Taylor Swift's 'The Man', 'mad woman', 'Dear John', 'Hits Different', and 'the last great american dynasty' — I ask students to write a modern-day version of 'A Vindication of… Continue reading On being, and not being, The Man: modern-day vindications of gender rights
The History Of Man: A Brief Analysis
For her creative assignment in English Literature (Taylor's Version), one of my students investigated all the literary references in Maisie Peters' 'The History Of Man'. To celebrate Maisie supporting Taylor at the Eras tour tonight, please enjoy this brief dive into Maisie's beautiful lyricism! Click the link below to see the full video! https://www.tiktok.com/@swifterature1989/video/7404962885304208672
Creative assignment: An Architecturally-sound replica of the Lover House
As part of their creative assignment for English Literature (Taylor's Version), one of my students made a replica of Taylor's famous Lover House, peopled with several special figures from the worlds of literature and music. Click the above image to read all about it in their own words!
What’s it like to study English Literature (Taylor’s Version)?
For an answer to that question, please enjoy this incredible graphic novel by two of my ridiculously talented students! Thank you Chiara and Anaya. Click above image to read more!
Why do we need feminism? Thoughts from English Literature (Taylor’s Version)
As part of our session on feminism, writing and power, we looked at Mary Wollstonecraft's seminal 'Vindication of the Rights of Woman', a 1792 treatise that argued for the importance of women's education during a period where it was habitually denied. Expected to be little more than delicate parlour ornaments, women were not seen as worthy recipients of the kind of education offered to men - a state of affairs which Wollstonecraft laments, while pointing out its idiocy (surely men would prefer a wife with whom they can hold a conversation). As a thought experiment, I asked my students: 'If you could write a modern-day "Vindication of the Rights of Woman", what feminist - or gender-related - issue would you focus on, and why?' Here are some of the responses - you can also see a word cloud of the most frequently used terms above. Click on it to read more.
English Literature (Taylor’s Version): Monopoly
In the coming weeks and months, I'll be sharing the results of my students' 'reflection reports': a creative assignment in any format they wished, that reflected on one or more aspects of English Literature (Taylor's Version). To kick off, please enjoy this absolutely incredible Taylorfied version of monopoly. The board itself is fantastic, but even better are the Chance and Community Chest cards, which are packed full of witty references to all the books and poems we covered during the course. [Click above image to see more].
Title Pages (Taylor’s Version)
This is why we can have nice things; or, what happens when students are tasked with making an eighteenth-century-style title page for a Taylor Swift song. [Click above image to see more]
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