This university is offering a 'Swifterature' course to study Taylor Swift's music

Ghent University in Belgium is poised to launch an unprecedented literature course delving into the artistic depth of US popstar Taylor Swift's discography. Titled "Literature: Taylor’s Version," a nod to the artist's re-recorded album titles, the course is set to debut this autumn under the guidance of esteemed assistant professor Elly McCausland.

McCausland, renowned for her blog "Swifterature," which dissects Swift's themes, imagery, and linguistic nuances by juxtaposing them with literary giants like Sylvia Plath, Charles Dickens, and William Shakespeare, brings her expertise to a academic exploration.

"Highly prolific and autobiographical in her songwriting, Swift makes frequent allusions to canonical literary texts in her music," the class syllabus attests. "Using Swift’s work as a springboard, we will explore, among other topics, literary feminism, ecocriticism, fan studies, and tropes such as the anti-hero. Swift’s enduring popularity stems, at least in part, from the heavily intertextual aspect of her work, and this course will dig deeper to explore its literary roots."

McCausland's syllabus extends a warm invitation to all, including those who may never have encountered Swift's music. The essence of the course lies in its capacity to unravel the intricate layers of Swift's artistry, employing her music as an entry point into a tapestry of literature that could have influenced her creative journey.