Loving reading through this and finding things I've missed. The link to Seven and A Little Princess just blew my mind. It makes so much sense! This has also just made me give myself permission to buy some really pretty secondhand hardback poetry books!
About the Sylvia Plath of it all— my friend and I noticed today that “apple cake” (the one unexplained term from the source code) is in Plath’s poem “Point Shirley” with themes about the sea, marriage and wifehood, motherhood, prison, and “planked up windows” (DBATC). We also noticed that “Ariel” is Plath’s poetry collection about death and suicide (“But Daddy I Love Him” referencing the little mermaid, released 1989). We really think this album will be to Sylvia Plath as evermore was to Emily Dickinson. Would love to hear your thoughts!
Also - I think the cover is an allusion to Playing Possum by Carly Simon. The title track has some very interesting parallels to themes of marriage, hiding, not having the courage of one’s convictions, etc 👀
I just read Shirley Jackson’s short story The Lottery. The children gather stones but the reader doesn’t know the purpose of the stones. I thought of My Tears Ricochet. We gather stones never knowing what they’ll mean. Some to throw, some to make a diamond ring. Though that was an interesting parallel.
Not sure if this is potential scope creep OR maybe it’s too similar and exactly what the syllabus is to begin with? But I’ve been thinking about what I think Taylor has read herself. I have a few entries to start us off, but I’m sure we could add much more. I also have thoughts on how likely I think each entry would be that she read as well, but we’ll save that for another day ◡̈
1) Blue Blood: The Story of Rebekah Harkness and How One of the Richest Families in the World Descended into Drugs, Madness, Suicide, and Violence by Craig Unger
2) Alice's Adventures in Wonderland Decoded: The Full Text of Lewis Carroll's Novel with Its Many Hidden Meanings Revealed by David Day
3) Open Me Carefully: Emily Dickinson's Intimate Letters to Susan Huntington Dickinson
Amazing, links to everything, wow. I’m sure I’ll comment more as I read through - today I read some Plath and Wordsworth. April Aubade by Plath, stuuunning. I am seeing the ‘you showed me colors I can’t see with anyone else’ vibes, worship this love.
This is the greatest thing i have seen written about TS, thank you so much! The empty house representing the lost love is also in Death by a Thousand Cuts, "I look through the window's of this love, even though we boarded them up, chandelier still flickering there.
Idk if this is relevant to your literary expertise but I’d LOVE to hear your take on the Brick By Boring Brick (by Paramore apparently written about TS) —> Castles Crumbling (Speak Now TV w/ Hailey Williams) —> Lover house burning on the Eras Tour —> Paramore’s cover of Burning Down the House pipeline 😇
hyperlinking the required texts is queen behavior :')
Loving reading through this and finding things I've missed. The link to Seven and A Little Princess just blew my mind. It makes so much sense! This has also just made me give myself permission to buy some really pretty secondhand hardback poetry books!
As a theatre grad student, I am living for this era
I'm so glad!! Truly this era was meant for the art girlies
Dark academia girlies rise up
so excited for this!! but also what happened to your tiktok account? and the Ready For It analysis?? did you get cease and desisted?? 😭
I had this same thought! Immediately was like blink twice if Tree told you to stop lol
Soooo excited about this.
About the Sylvia Plath of it all— my friend and I noticed today that “apple cake” (the one unexplained term from the source code) is in Plath’s poem “Point Shirley” with themes about the sea, marriage and wifehood, motherhood, prison, and “planked up windows” (DBATC). We also noticed that “Ariel” is Plath’s poetry collection about death and suicide (“But Daddy I Love Him” referencing the little mermaid, released 1989). We really think this album will be to Sylvia Plath as evermore was to Emily Dickinson. Would love to hear your thoughts!
She's got a poem titled "Mary's Song" too!
Also - I think the cover is an allusion to Playing Possum by Carly Simon. The title track has some very interesting parallels to themes of marriage, hiding, not having the courage of one’s convictions, etc 👀
extra info on the little mermaid: https://www.thepinknews.com/2023/02/25/hans-christian-andersen-gay-little-mermaid-lgbtq/
so hype for this Ren! and excited to drag my irl english major swifties along for the ride.
I just read Shirley Jackson’s short story The Lottery. The children gather stones but the reader doesn’t know the purpose of the stones. I thought of My Tears Ricochet. We gather stones never knowing what they’ll mean. Some to throw, some to make a diamond ring. Though that was an interesting parallel.
Not sure if this is potential scope creep OR maybe it’s too similar and exactly what the syllabus is to begin with? But I’ve been thinking about what I think Taylor has read herself. I have a few entries to start us off, but I’m sure we could add much more. I also have thoughts on how likely I think each entry would be that she read as well, but we’ll save that for another day ◡̈
1) Blue Blood: The Story of Rebekah Harkness and How One of the Richest Families in the World Descended into Drugs, Madness, Suicide, and Violence by Craig Unger
2) Alice's Adventures in Wonderland Decoded: The Full Text of Lewis Carroll's Novel with Its Many Hidden Meanings Revealed by David Day
3) Open Me Carefully: Emily Dickinson's Intimate Letters to Susan Huntington Dickinson
Amazing, links to everything, wow. I’m sure I’ll comment more as I read through - today I read some Plath and Wordsworth. April Aubade by Plath, stuuunning. I am seeing the ‘you showed me colors I can’t see with anyone else’ vibes, worship this love.
This is the greatest thing i have seen written about TS, thank you so much! The empty house representing the lost love is also in Death by a Thousand Cuts, "I look through the window's of this love, even though we boarded them up, chandelier still flickering there.
This is fantastic. I think we could also add Great Expectations and Persuasion to the list.
i think John Berger's 2nd episode of Ways of Seeing ties into the cover of TTPD: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1GI8mNU5Sg
Idk if this is relevant to your literary expertise but I’d LOVE to hear your take on the Brick By Boring Brick (by Paramore apparently written about TS) —> Castles Crumbling (Speak Now TV w/ Hailey Williams) —> Lover house burning on the Eras Tour —> Paramore’s cover of Burning Down the House pipeline 😇