I don't think non-fans truly understand the depth and complexity of the stories that Taylor tells through her music, or the recurring themes from album to album. This is probably the book I would recommend to those who are not fans, but don't hate her just to say they hate her. It breaks down so many literary references that Taylor brings to life, even ones that I missed because I was scream-singing or ugly crying to some of my most favorite songs.
One author is a lit prof and the other an actor in musical theatre, so each have their area of expertise and absolutely know what they are talking about. I always go into these Taylor books cautiously, because you never know what might end up just being a cash-grab with no real substance that rehashes basic entry-level info that any casual fan might know.
Luckily, that is not the case here.
Anyone who has a remote interest in literature will catch the numerous references to The Great Gatsby and Alice in Wonderland (beyond the obviously titled 'Wonderland' from 1989, one of the greatest pure synth pop albums of all time). However, Taylor also inspired by the Romantics, Gothic fiction, Postmoderdism, and more. She is Dr. Swift after all (has an honorary PhD from NYU), so Taylor knows her stuff.
While Feder is a lit professor, the book remains an easier read and explains things in an academic way without being too dense. This is definitely important for younger readers and those who who not super familiar with literary eras but want to know how those informed Taylor's eras.
I am torn on the book's organization, which is why I rated four stars instead of five. The authors chose to go chronologically, which makes sense because then over time you see how themese devloped and which references she continued to draw on. The downside to this is that there is some repetition from album to album, which would have made grouping songs thematically make more sense. But then the reader would miss out on the chronilogical growth, so really there are pros and cons to each.
Each album is accompanied by a reading list, which I found really cool. I like that the authors really dug into authors of each era and did not recommend titles or authors that many might already know. Of course we get Shakespeare and Greek mythology, but there is so much more that they offer up that keep with the themes Taylor was exploring on a particular album. The authors also did the reverse, offering playlists of Taylor's songs that matched up with different novels. The attention to detail and type of information offered here truly is far-reaching.
Highly recommended.
Great review!
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