Episode Details

Emily Dickinson and Taylor Swift |"Karma," "evermore" & Why They're Literary Twins

Published 19 hours ago

Description

“And I was catching my breath, barefoot in the wildest winter…” What happens when a 21st-century American poet meets a 19th-century one? In this Show & Tell episode, we explore the literary lineage between Taylor Swift and Emily Dickinson. Each of us brings a favorite Dickinson poem paired with a Swift song that touch on shared motifs such as separation, isolation, and hope. Tune in to find out which modern-day Taylor tracks sound like 19th-century poetry—and why we think Emily might vibe with Evermore.

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Mentioned in this episode:

The Letters of Emily Dickinson

The Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson

Hope is the Thing with Feathers

They Put Us Far Apart (Poem 474)

It Was Not Death, for I Stood Up (Poem 355)

Message in a Bottle – Taylor Swift

Evermore – Taylor Swift
Karma – Taylor Swift
Beauty and the Beast (live-action & Broadway versions)
Hamilton

Taylor Swift by the Book
Ancestry.com – Taylor & Emily’s distant cousin connection
Emily Dickinson Museum
Tikvah (Hebrew word for hope)

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Episode Highlights: