On Thursday, Sept. 14, English department lecturer John Han and senior English major Laura Snyder hosted the inaugural meeting of the Taylor Swift Literary Club. The meeting was held in the Nursing Education Building room 302. Students were able to openly discuss and analyze Taylor Swift’s lyrics from a literary perspective.
The Taylor Swift Literary Club is sponsored by the English department but is open to all majors. This club is an entertaining way for students to delve into superstar Swift’s lyrics and analyze them.
The initial meeting was met with a lecture hall full of roughly 100 of Swift’s fans, or “Swifties.” Swift’s music played for a few minutes in the beginning while students got to know each other.
Students even began to sing along in unison, bonding like they were at a concert. Everyone involved was excited to discuss the lyrics of their favorite songs. Students were also served pizza and donuts, along with refreshments like water, lemonade and soda.
Han shared how the idea for this club came to him.
“I usually just chit-chat with my students before class starts, and they started talking about Taylor Swift, and it kind of bled over into discussion … I had them analyze one of her songs as practice, and they loved it. And I thought this sounds like a good way to, you know, bring fans together,” Han said.
Han spoke about what he aims to do with this club.
“I’m hoping to bring the skill set that we teach in the English department to the fans. Let them feel like they’re Taylor Swift scholars because they know the lyrics so well, and they’re basically analyzing it all the time,” he said.
Han has even bigger plans for the Taylor Swift Literary Club, hoping to eventually develop it into a course that students can earn credit for.
“The club is kind of a way for me to just get to know Taylor Swift’s discography a bit more,” Han said. “Ideally, I’m hoping to let that information help me develop a course maybe as soon as next year – 2024, fall. I’m hoping this club will give me the tools I need to teach a Taylor Swift class effectively.”
English lecturer John Han, faculty leader and creator of the Taylor Swift Literary Club, leads the analysis of Swift's discography at the club's inaugural meeting.
Snyder was Han’s co-conspirator in the formation of this club. She spoke about how she got involved.
“Dr. Han was looking for a student assistant, and I love Taylor Swift,” Snyder said. “I went to the Eras Tour. I would be happy to help.”
Snyder shared her views on Swift’s discography and called her music “cathartic.”
“She expresses such universal thoughts and universal feelings that are so specific and so real,” Snyder said.
Swift’s music resonates with a very large audience. She often includes references to English literature, and there is a heavy use of figurative language in her lyrics. This paints vivid pictures in the audience’s heads whilst listening to her music.
This type of songwriting allows for discussions of the English language and the breakdown of her lyrics. Dedicated fans that attended the meeting were well-versed on Swift’s real life and connected her song lyrics to what she was doing in her life the time the song was released.
Han spoke about how he admires Swift’s songwriting ability.
“I genuinely think she’s a brilliant lyricist and very prolific,” Han said.
The Taylor Swift Literary Club is a fun way for students of all backgrounds to engage with each other and bond over something they have in common.
“In general, I’m really hoping this club just creates a community on campus,” said Snyder. “Especially one that celebrates women empowerment and the things that words can accomplish.”
Students don’t need to be an English major or a huge fan of Taylor Swift to get something out of this club. It’s a unique way to learn about literature, rather than reading Shakespeare. Especially focusing on a popstar of our time, this club is something that a lot of youth might find enjoyable.
The Taylor Swift Literary Club is a great way for students to make friends and learn about how Swift’s lyrics impact us all.
