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The Swiftie and The Scholar

A weekly podcast exploring the lyrics, lore, and literary legacy of Taylor Swift. Hosted by Angela McDow, the Swiftie, and Dr. Jerry Coats, the Scholar, we read between the lines AND the liner notes. Join us each week for lyrical deep dive through Taylor Swift’s eras.

Latest Episodes:

The Peak of Innocence in Seven Jul 23, 2026

Show notes

This week is the one year podcast anniversary, and Angela saved this song especially for this episode. But before we tackle seven from folklore, Angela and Uncle Jerry reflect on the past year and Angela surprises him with a little quiz to see just how much he’s learned about Taylor Swift and swiftie culture.

Thanks for being here with us!

*Links with an asterisk are affiliate links, which allow us to make a small commission on your purchase at no cost to you. Thanks so much for your support!

Works Cited:

7 as the number of completion

Pastoral Poetry Dramatic Irony

To His Coy Mistress – Andrew Marvell

American Primitive – Mary Oliver*

The Swiftie and The Scholar Grading Matrix

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Superficial Celebrity Criticism in Shake It Off Jul 16, 2026

Show notes

We’re taking it back to 1989 with the only Taylor Swift song Uncle Jerry knew before we started this project. Angela expected this to be a quick, simple episode, but Uncle Jerry found a lot of deeper meaning in the glitter gel pen poem.

Works Cited:

Dr. J. Don Vann

A Handbook to Literature – William Harmon & Hugh Holman – Aff Link

Goblin Market – Christina Rossetti

Why We Oppose Pockets for Women – Alice Duer Miller

The Waking – Theodore Roethke

Shake It Off music video

Stars – Richard Dyer – Aff Link

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The Mosaic of Love in State of Grace Jul 09, 2026

Show notes

Today we return to Angela’s beloved Red era with State of Grace! Uncle Jerry surprises her with his excitement about the poem, and they go through all the ideas of love Taylor presents throughout the opening track.

And there’s gravy all over the plate!

Works Cited:

Kinetic or kinesthetic imagery

Parallel structure

A Midsummer Night's Dream – William Shakespeare – Aff Link

Concrete Poetry

A to Z Horoscope Maker and Interpreter – Llewellyn George – Aff Link

Synecdoche vs. metonymy

The Literate Mode of Cicero's Legal Rhetoric – Dr. Richard Leo Enos Ph.D. – Aff Link

Manos: The Hands of Fate – (1966)

Hesiod – Richard Lattimore – Aff Link

Sonnet 130: My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun – William Shakespeare

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The Coming of Age Narrative in You’re On Your Own, Kid Jul 02, 2026

Show notes

Angela finally introduces Uncle Jerry to a pivotal track 5 from Taylor Swift’s discography—You’re On Your Own, Kid. They discuss the real life events that could have inspired the song and Uncle Jerry talks about other pieces of pop culture that tell a similar story.

Works Cited:

Colloquial diction

Free indirect discourse

Auditory imagery

Adventures of Huckleberry Finn – Mark Twain – Aff link

The Divine Comedy – Dante Alighieri – Aff link

Sonnet 73 – William Shakespeare

The Great Escape (1963)

Father and Son – Cat Stevens

Keep a-Goin’ – Frank L. Stanton

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The Chronicles of Conflict in The Great War Jun 25, 2026

Show notes

In this episode, Uncle Jerry and Angela tackle The Great War from 2022’s Midnights. Uncle Jerry wrestles with the idea of using a horrific event as a metaphor, and he teaches all about the many floral symbols used throughout the poem.

Works Cited:

The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady – Edith Holden – Aff Link

The Great War and Modern Memory – Paul Fussell – Aff Link

The Strange Destiny of Rupert Brooke Hardcover – John Lehmann

Siegfried Sassoon

Memoirs of an Infantry Officer: The Memoirs of George Sherston – Siegfried Sassoon – Aff Link

Goodbye to All That – Robert Graves – Aff Link

All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)

War Poems – Wilfred Owen – Aff Link

Dulce et Decorum Est – Wilfred Owen

Poetry of the First World War: An Anthology – Tim Kendall – Aff Link

The Soldier – Rupert Brooke

In Flanders Fields – John McCrae

The History and Rhymes of the Lost Battalion – Buck Private McCollum – Aff Link

Crimson & Clover – Tommy James and the Shondells

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The Parachute of Childhood in I Knew It, I Knew You Jun 18, 2026

Show notes

Man, it’s been a while! Today we’re covering the newly released I Knew It, I Knew You from Toy Story 5 and current #1 on the Billboard 100 chart.

Uncle Jerry takes us through the poem, talking all about childhood and friendship and how both this song and the movie franchise showcase the magic of being a kid.

We bring in a special guest–an expert–at the end to grade the song.

Works Cited:

Runnin’ Wild – Some Like It Hot

Epiphora or Epistrophe

Leaves of Grass – Walt Whitman

I Knew It, I Knew You Visualizer

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The Light of Stardom in Clara Bow Jun 04, 2026

Show notes

We are taking it back to the 1920s (and then the 1970s) today with Clara Bow from The Tortured Poets Department. Uncle Jerry talks all about the early film industry, Stevie Nicks, the violence of beauty and fame for women, and so much more.

Works Cited:

The Jazz Singer (1927)

Douglas Fairbanks

Casablanca (1942)

The Lodger (1947)

World’s Columbian Exposition (1893)

The Birth of a Nation (1915)

It – Elinor Glyn – Aff Link

Death of a Salesman – Arthur Miller

A Cool Million – Nathanael West – Aff Link

The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus – Christopher Marlowe

To an Athlete Dying Young – A. E. Housman

Idle Fame – John Clare

The Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson – Aff Link

Fame is a fickle food (1659) – Emily Dickinson

Fame is a bee. (1788) – Emily Dickinson

Mirrorball/Clara Bow Mash-up

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The Nature of Fame in Mirrorball May 28, 2026

Show notes

We’re back in our folklore era with mirrorball today! Uncle Jerry had some extra time with this one and doesn’t even know where to start the discussion. We get into the uses of mirrors in folklore, how this was made during the pandemic, and discuss the many facets of celebrity. Make sure you come back next week for another song discussing the nature of fame.

Works Cited:

The Philosophy of Reflection: Mirrors as Symbols Across Cultures

Through the Looking Glass – Lewis Carroll – Aff Link

Perseus and Medusa

A Discovery of Witches (2018)

'Spirit mirror' used by 16th-century occultist John Dee came from the Aztec Empire

Albertus Magnus and the Magic Mirror

Loafing Him was Bread T-Shirt

The House of Fame – Geoffrey Chaucer

The Temple of Fame – Alexander Pope

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The Inquisitive Human Nature in How Did It End? May 21, 2026

Show notes

FIXED AUDIO!

Call all your friends and cousins, we’re finally covering How Did It End? from The Tortured Poets Department. Uncle Jerry finds tons of beautiful poetics and dark humor in this one, and Angela discusses its connections to both The Prophecy and But Daddy I Love Him. If you want to vote for a specific song for June, join us on Patreon to play along!

Works Cited:

General Reference Pronoun

Autofiction as a Doorway Into Truth

Conceit – Literary term

Come One, Come All – All Time Low

"Now give three cheers" – HMS Pinafore

The Telephone Hour – Bye Bye Birdie

The Raven – Edgar Allan Poe

Annabel Lee – Edgar Allan Poe

To -- -- --. Ulalume: A Ballad – Edgar Allan Poe

Hyperion – John Keats

Ode to a Nightingale – John Keats

A Rose for Emily – William Faulkner

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The Christian Tendrils of But Daddy I Love Him May 14, 2026

Show notes

Buckle up for a long one! We are flooring it through the fences today with But Daddy I Love Him from Taylor Swift’s 2024 album, The Tortured Poets Department. We discuss common movie tropes, conservative small towns, and the lyrics Angela wants to have tattooed from this song.

Works Cited:

Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell – Susanna Clarke – Aff Link

East of Eden – John Steinbeck – Aff Link

Rebel With a Cause (1955)

The Notebook (2004)

Inside Daisy Clover (1965)

How The West Was Won (1962)

Epiphora (or epistrophe)

the Cambridge ladies who live in furnished souls – e.e. cummings

Footloose (1984)

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