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Every episode
The Swiftie and The Scholar
30 episodes
Finding Life’s Meaning in Epiphany
Ep 52 · Aug 13, 2026 · 1 hr 3 min
We are tackling one of the most underrated tracks from Taylor Swift’s folklore album, epiphany. The poem compares past war tragedies to 2020’s pandemic, and Uncle Jerry uses the poem to teach us about Hemingway’s Iceberg Theory. *Links with an asterisk are affiliate links, which allow us to make a small commission on your purchase at no cost to you. Thanks so much for your support! Works Cited: Wilfred Owen Siegfried Sassoon The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner – Randall Jarrell The Angels at Ham…
Imagined Futures in Chloe or Sam or Sophia or Marcus
Ep 51 · Aug 6, 2026 · 1 hr 24 min
We are back in our Tortured Poets Era with Chloe or Sam or Sophia or Marcus. This song was much-requested and was voted on by our Patreon subscribers. Angela and Uncle Jerry talk through the poem and Uncle Jerry concedes that sometimes we try to find too much meaning in certain images. Works Cited: Sadie and Maud – Gwendolyn Brooks maggie and milly and molly and may – e.e. cummings [in Just-] – e.e. cummings Brylcreem commercial Synecdoche Sonnet 12 – William Shakespeare Sonnet 60 – William Shak…
Finding Agency in Dear John
Ep 50 · Jul 30, 2026 · 1 hr 25 min
We’re back in our Speak Now era with Dear John. Angela explains the lore behind this quintessential track 5 from Taylor Swift, and Uncle Jerry talks himself into being a fan of this poem. *Links with an asterisk are affiliate links, which allow us to make a small commission on your purchase at no cost to you. Thanks so much for your support! Works Cited: Dear John Letter Agnes von Kurowsky *A Farewell to Arms – Ernest Hemingway A Dear John Letter – Jean Shepard & Ferlin Husky Dear John Letter –…
The Peak of Innocence in Seven
Ep 49 · Jul 23, 2026 · 1 hr 29 min
This week is the one year podcast anniversary, and Angela saved this song especially for this episode. But before we tackle seven from folklore, Angela and Uncle Jerry reflect on the past year and Angela surprises him with a little quiz to see just how much he’s learned about Taylor Swift and swiftie culture. Thanks for being here with us! *Links with an asterisk are affiliate links, which allow us to make a small commission on your purchase at no cost to you. Thanks so much for your support! Wo…
Superficial Celebrity Criticism in Shake It Off
Ep 48 · Jul 16, 2026 · 1 hr 37 min
We’re taking it back to 1989 with the only Taylor Swift song Uncle Jerry knew before we started this project. Angela expected this to be a quick, simple episode, but Uncle Jerry found a lot of deeper meaning in the glitter gel pen poem. Works Cited: Catalog Poem Dr. J. Don Vann A Handbook to Literature – William Harmon & Hugh Holman – Aff Link Goblin Market – Christina Rossetti Why We Oppose Pockets for Women – Alice Duer Miller Anaphora Metonymy Onomatopoeia Epizeuxis Polyptoton Tautological Th…
The Mosaic of Love in State of Grace
Ep 47 · Jul 9, 2026 · 1 hr 9 min
Today we return to Angela’s beloved Red era with State of Grace! Uncle Jerry surprises her with his excitement about the poem, and they go through all the ideas of love Taylor presents throughout the opening track. And there’s gravy all over the plate! Works Cited: In medias res Kinetic or kinesthetic imagery Metonymy Parallel structure A Midsummer Night's Dream – William Shakespeare – Aff Link Concrete Poetry A to Z Horoscope Maker and Interpreter – Llewellyn George – Aff Link Synecdoche Synecd…
The Coming of Age Narrative in You’re On Your Own, Kid
Ep 1 · Jul 2, 2026 · 1 hr 9 min
Angela finally introduces Uncle Jerry to a pivotal track 5 from Taylor Swift’s discography—You’re On Your Own, Kid. They discuss the real life events that could have inspired the song and Uncle Jerry talks about other pieces of pop culture that tell a similar story. Works Cited: Anaphora Colloquial diction Dramatic irony Free indirect discourse Verbal irony Auditory imagery Metonymy Adventures of Huckleberry Finn – Mark Twain – Aff link The Divine Comedy – Dante Alighieri – Aff link Sonnet 73 –…
The Chronicles of Conflict in The Great War
Ep 45 · Jun 25, 2026 · 1 hr 9 min
In this episode, Uncle Jerry and Angela tackle The Great War from 2022’s Midnights. Uncle Jerry wrestles with the idea of using a horrific event as a metaphor, and he teaches all about the many floral symbols used throughout the poem. Works Cited: The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady – Edith Holden – Aff Link The Great War and Modern Memory – Paul Fussell – Aff Link The Strange Destiny of Rupert Brooke Hardcover – John Lehmann Siegfried Sassoon Memoirs of an Infantry Officer: The Memoirs of Ge…
The Parachute of Childhood in I Knew It, I Knew You
Ep 44 · Jun 18, 2026 · 1 hr 14 min
Man, it’s been a while! Today we’re covering the newly released I Knew It, I Knew You from Toy Story 5 and current #1 on the Billboard 100 chart. Uncle Jerry takes us through the poem, talking all about childhood and friendship and how both this song and the movie franchise showcase the magic of being a kid. We bring in a special guest–an expert–at the end to grade the song. Works Cited: Homonym Runnin’ Wild – Some Like It Hot Volta Emjambment Epiphora or Epistrophe Leaves of Grass – Walt Whitma…
The Light of Stardom in Clara Bow
Ep 43 · Jun 4, 2026 · 1 hr 27 min
We are taking it back to the 1920s (and then the 1970s) today with Clara Bow from The Tortured Poets Department. Uncle Jerry talks all about the early film industry, Stevie Nicks, the violence of beauty and fame for women, and so much more. Works Cited: Clara Bow The Jazz Singer (1927) Greta Garbo Douglas Fairbanks John Gilbert Michael Curtiz Casablanca (1942) The Lodger (1947) World’s Columbian Exposition (1893) The Birth of a Nation (1915) It (1927) It – Elinor Glyn – Aff Link Caesura Horatio…
The Nature of Fame in Mirrorball
Ep 42 · May 28, 2026 · 1 hr 13 min
We’re back in our folklore era with mirrorball today! Uncle Jerry had some extra time with this one and doesn’t even know where to start the discussion. We get into the uses of mirrors in folklore, how this was made during the pandemic, and discuss the many facets of celebrity. Make sure you come back next week for another song discussing the nature of fame. Works Cited: The Philosophy of Reflection: Mirrors as Symbols Across Cultures Catoptromancy Through the Looking Glass – Lewis Carroll – Aff…
The Inquisitive Human Nature in How Did It End?
Ep 41 · May 21, 2026 · 53 min
FIXED AUDIO! Call all your friends and cousins, we’re finally covering How Did It End? from The Tortured Poets Department. Uncle Jerry finds tons of beautiful poetics and dark humor in this one, and Angela discusses its connections to both The Prophecy and But Daddy I Love Him. If you want to vote for a specific song for June, join us on Patreon to play along! Works Cited: General Reference Pronoun Autofiction as a Doorway Into Truth Conceit – Literary term Come One, Come All – All Time Low Slan…
The Christian Tendrils of But Daddy I Love Him
Ep 40 · May 14, 2026 · 1 hr 21 min
Buckle up for a long one! We are flooring it through the fences today with But Daddy I Love Him from Taylor Swift’s 2024 album, The Tortured Poets Department. We discuss common movie tropes, conservative small towns, and the lyrics Angela wants to have tattooed from this song. Works Cited: Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell – Susanna Clarke – Aff Link East of Eden – John Steinbeck – Aff Link Rebel With a Cause (1955) The Notebook (2004) Inside Daisy Clover (1965) How The West Was Won (1962) Anaphora…
The Sentimentalism of Marjorie
Ep 39 · May 7, 2026 · 1 hr 2 min
In this episode, we are tackling marjorie, a track from Taylor Swift’s evermore album from 2020. Uncle Jerry teaches us about sentimentalism in literature, and Angela blows his mind by telling him the real life Marjorie’s backstory. Works Cited: Aphorism David Hume Immanuel Kant Sentimentalism Sentimental Novels in Early American Fiction The Man of Feeling – Henry Mackenzie – Aff Link Pamela: Or Virtue Rewarded – Samuel Richardson – Aff Link Sense and Sensibility – Jane Austen – Aff Link A Treat…
Dr. Uncle Jerry University: Poetry 101
Ep 38 · Apr 30, 2026 · 1 hr 16 min
We’re doing something a bit different today! Some conversations have popped up in various comment sections about why Uncle Jerry prefers specific types of poetry, and which lenses we use to dissect those poems, whether we’re talking about Charles Dickens, Emily Dickenson, or Taylor Swift. So Uncle Jerry put together a lecture explaining how and why he views certain poetic styles the way he does, and explains the different criticism styles and theories we use to understand a poem’s meaning and im…
Fate vs. Free Will in The Prophecy
Ep 37 · Apr 23, 2026 · 1 hr 21 min
We are getting witchy today as we dive deep into The Prophecy from Taylor Swift’s 2024 album, The Tortured Poets Department. Uncle Jerry teaches us about some specific references to tarot and the occult in literature, and how that shaped a few of his interests. Angela tells the story of a tarot reading that Taylor received from a friend, and how she thinks it inspired this song. Works Cited: The Collected Poems of W.B. Yeats – William Butler Yeats – Aff Link Rosicrucian Fellowship The Secrets of…
Cardigan – The Folklore Love Triangle Part 3
Ep 36 · Apr 16, 2026 · 1 hr 19 min
We’ve made it to the third and final episode of our beloved Folklore Love Triangle! We hope you’ve enjoyed this little series as much as we have. This episode dives into all the poetry and themes of cardigan, and then Uncle Jerry wraps up all the themes and questions and answers found in these three songs. Works Cited: Rashomon Effect The Rashomon Effect: When Ethnographers Disagree – Karl G. Heider Disnarration and the Unmentioned in Fact and Fiction – Marina Lambrou – Aff Link Disnarration and…
Betty – The Folklore Love Triangle Part 2
Ep 35 · Apr 9, 2026 · 1 hr 8 min
We’re back for the second installment of the folklore love triangle! Uncle Jerry really changed his tune on these lyrics, both as a poem and as a song, while Angela notices some “teenage diction” that she’s never picked up on before. Come back next week to wrap this all up with us! Works Cited: Rashomon Effect The Rashomon Effect: When Ethnographers Disagree – Karl G. Heider Disnarration and the Unmentioned in Fact and Fiction – Marina Lambrou – Aff Link Disnarration and the performance of story…
August – The Folklore Love Triangle Part 1
Ep 34 · Apr 2, 2026 · 1 hr 9 min
Friends, it's finally here! Over the next three episodes, we are diving into our beloved Folklore Love Triangle. First up is August. Uncle Jerry begins by talking about the narrative of these three songs and how they are woven together across the album, and then we dissect the poem of August. These three episodes will all build on each other, and we’ll round out the discussion in week 3. Works Cited: Rashomon Effect The Rashomon Effect: When Ethnographers Disagree – Karl G. Heider The Blind Man…
The Feminist Critique of Mad Woman
Ep 33 · Mar 26, 2026 · 57 min
We are getting angry and witchy today with mad woman from Taylor Swift’s 2020 album, folklore. Uncle Jerry teaches us where the word hysteria comes from, how women have been written about for centuries, and how sometimes, we make our own monsters. Listen to the song with us on Patreon! Works Cited: The Madwoman in the Attic – Sandra M. Gilbert and Susan Gubar – Aff Link In Medias Res: Definition and Examples To Start a Story in the Middle Dramatic Monologue Orion and Scorpius The Mourning Bride…
The Psychological Burden of The Albatross
Ep 32 · Mar 19, 2026 · 59 min
We have a much-requested poem for you in this episode! Uncle Jerry and Angela tackle The Albatross from The Tortured Poets Department, but first, Uncle Jerry lets us all know how disappointed he is with us as a class lololol. Oops! Join us as we discuss relationships in the public eye, and the journey of repudiation and redemption the song takes us on. Works Cited: The Rime of the Ancient Mariner – Samuel Taylor Coleridge Aubrey & Maturin – Jack O’Brian Book of Jonah Can’t Help Falling in Love –…
The Depth Without Darkness in Opalite
Ep 31 · Mar 12, 2026 · 1 hr 3 min
Join us today for some lighthearted fun as we discuss Opalite from 2025’s The Life of a Showgirl. When Taylor Swift made this song a single and gave us the most perfect music video in the history of music videos, I felt like we had to cover it. Be on the lookout for more Opalite content on Patreon! Works Cited: How to Write a Dizain Iambs Trochees Pluperfect tense Possession – A.S. Byatt – Aff Link About Time (2013) Brooklyn (2015) Follow Us: Patreon YouTube TikTok Instagram Angela’…
The Exploration of Depression in Evermore
Ep 30 · Mar 5, 2026 · 1 hr 8 min
In this episode, we are taking a trip through the wildest winter with evermore from 2020. Uncle Jerry once again blows Angela’s mind with some folklore tropes relating to the dog days, and with some tidbits about Carl Jung’s theory on the Anima. If you’d like to see us listen to the song and enjoy the episode ad-free, you can now join us on Patreon! Works Cited: Cats (2019) Fats Waller Apostrophe literary device Gerard Manley Hopkins William Somerset Maugham The Burning of Lord Byron’s Memoirs E…
The Exploration of Truth in Cassandra
Ep 29 · Feb 26, 2026 · 1 hr 17 min
JOIN US ON PATREON! In this episode, we are learning all about Cassandra from Greek Mythology, and Cassandra, the Taylor Swift song. Uncle Jerry teaches us Cassandra’s story, we dive into all the rich metaphors, and Angela spills the beans about Taylor’s Kim and Kanye feud. There’s also an existential moment where Angela can’t deal with the question of one universal truth versus many personal truths. Works Cited: Taylor Swift and Kanye West Feud Cassandra in Greek Mythology The Iliad – Homer The…
The Tangled Ambiguity of Ivy
Ep 28 · Feb 19, 2026 · 1 hr 19 min
Affairs and graves and Emily Dickinson, oh my! Today, we are slowly meandering through Taylor Swift’s 202 poem, ivy. This track from evermore is full of ambiguous symbols, double meanings, and beautiful poetic elements. Uncle Jerry walks us through his many interpretations, and Angela’s brain short circuits through it all. Compassion – Miller Williams The Ways We Touch – Miller Williams – Aff link Down Where The Spirit Meets the Bone – Lucinda Williams Because I could not stop for Death – Emily…
The Cultural Critique of The Last Great American Dynasty
Ep 27 · Feb 12, 2026 · 1 hr 7 min
We’re off to Rhode Island by way of St. Louis in this episode! We’re breaking down Taylor Swift’s ‘the last great american dynasty’, a track from 2020’s folklore and the final song she submitted for induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Uncle Jerry explains how his opinion on this poem changed from his first few readings, and Angela talks through her thoughts on the five submitted songs as a whole and why she thinks Taylor chose them. Works Cited: Blue Blood – Craig Unger A Rose for Emily…
The Satire of Blank Space
Ep 26 · Feb 5, 2026 · 51 min
In this episode, we are covering the fourth song that Taylor Swift submitted to be considered for induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame—Blank Space. This 1989 track was one of her first pop hits, and Uncle Jerry finds the humorous and feminist lenses the poem was written through to be interesting to dissect. We’ll wrap the conversation up and talk about the songs as a whole collection next week. Works Cited: Tabula Rasa Dactyl Iamb Yellow Rose of Texas The Ballad of Jed Clampett Gilligan’s…
The Self-Deprecation of Anti-Hero
Ep 25 · Jan 29, 2026 · 54 min
We’re back and we’re kicking 2026 off with the three remaining tracks from Taylor’s submission to the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Spoiler alert: she was inducted! We’ll talk more about that in the final of these three episodes, but today we are focused on Anti-Hero. Uncle Jerry wonders about Taylor’s psychological status when writing this song and Angela has an A-ha! moment about how the music cues us to maybe feel differently than the lyrics alone would make us feel. Works Cited: First Person Dei…
The Resolutions of Love in New Year’s Day
Ep 24 · Jan 1, 2026 · 46 min
Happy New Year! With New Year’s Day on our episode release day, it only felt right to cover this masterpiece from Reputation. Uncle Jerry unknowingly connects this song with many others, blowing Angela’s mind once again. We’re taking a short break after this episode, but we’ll see you back here in a few weeks with more poetry! Works Cited: Nine Princes in Amber – Roger Zelazny – Aff Link When Harry Met Sally (1989) A Tale of Two Cities – Charles Dickens – Aff Link The Sun Also Rises – Ernest Hem…
The Intertextuality of ‘Tis the Damn Season
Ep 23 · Dec 24, 2025 · 51 min
Merry Christmas! Sorry for the sad song choice, but it just felt right. We’re trudging down the road not taken with evermore’s ‘tis the damn season. Uncle Jerry isn’t so sure about this one at first, but he comes around by the end. Works Cited: Trope Sweet Home Alabama (2002) The Family Man (2000) Frank Capra Autofiction Catcher in the Rye – J.D. Salinger – Aff Link The Road Not Taken – Robert Frost Intertextuality Fire and Ice – Robert Frost Mending Wall – Robert Frost Look Homeward, Angel – Th…
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