Taylor Swift: global superstar, Ticketmaster annihilator, heartbreak connoisseur and now… English tutor?
With the release of her latest album The Tortured Poets Department, Swift has given her legion of fans a reading list to brush up on. Not literally, of course, but across its 31 songs (yes, 31!), she’s left a trail of literary easter eggs between swipes at Matty Healy and jabs at Kim Kardashian.
From the poet Dylan Thomas to the iconic imagery of The Great Gatsby, Taylor Swift has poured through the works of the greats to create her most packed break-up album to date. Let’s face it, we all like to compare our one-month situationships to great works of literature just to feel less embarrassed about the whole thing. We understand.
Here are all the literary references to be found in The Tortured Poets Department.
“The Tortured Poets Department”: Dylan Thomas and Patti Smith
In the titular lead single, Swift compares herself and ex-beau Matty Healy to iconic singer-songwriter Patti Smith and the Welsh poet Dylan Thomas. Well, to be more specific, she concedes that they, in fact, are not like their tortured icons and that they’re being a little bit silly with their intensity. Though they’re from different times, Thomas and Smith both lived in New York’s Chelsea Hotel for a time. The hotel became a homestay for writers and creatives in its heyday.
“You’re not Dylan Thomas, I’m not Patti Smith.
This ain’t the Chelsea Hotel, we’rе modern idiots”
