2023-08-19 14:04:58
A Belgian university is launching a literary class in which the references that American pop star Taylor Swift relied on in the lyrics of her songs, from the book “The Great Gatsby” to the books of the Bronte sisters, will be addressed.
And assistant professor at Gund University, Ellie McCausland, believes that the words composed by the 33-year-old singer, in addition to her style, represent an open door for diving into the masterpieces and themes of Anglo-Saxon literature.
The English literature teacher points out the possibility of refuting the lyrics of songs such as “The Man” to explore the theme of feminism, or examining the opposite character of the hero in the song “Anti-Hero”.
McCausland, a fan of the singer-songwriter, came up with the idea for the class a few months ago while listening to “The Great War”.
“The way Swift deals with war as a metaphor for a relationship disturbed me a bit, but it made me think of Sylvia Plath’s Daddy, which is also disturbing to read,” she told AFP.
She asserts that the class she is offering is titled “Literature (Taylor’s Version)” and is directed to master’s students, and the main aim of it is to make literature “easier to understand,” adding, “This class is not intended to create a club for fans” of the singer.
She continues, “The goal behind it is to make students realize that English literature is not a pile of old books written long ago and gathering dust in libraries, but rather a living matter that is constantly evolving,” until it became an inspiration for current pop music.
In McCausland’s study programme, Taylor Swift’s lyrics are a “gateway” to reading the works of British literary giants such as William Shakespeare, Charlotte Brontë, Geoffrey Chaucer and William Thackery.
And in Swift’s work quotes from writers as diverse as English novelist Charles Dickens and American poet Emily Dickinson, as well as similarities to the style of British Romantic poets of the early nineteenth century.
In an interview with The Beatles singer Paul McCartney, published by the American magazine “Rolling Stone” in 2020, Swift expressed her love for writing, noting that she devoted herself to reading during the pandemic period “more than ever.” One of the works I read was the novel “Rebecca” by Daphne du Maurier.
And it seems that the lesson that McCausland will provide is starting to become popular, as the academy has received registration requests from students outside the university, some of whom have contacted her through her Instagram account.
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