Taylor Swift’s record-breaking new album, The Tortured Poets Department, as well as extra release The Anthology, is full of references to classic adult and children’s literature. Swift’s lyricism is highly renowned, and she is known to interweave literary references throughout her songs, most notably in her lockdown albums folklore and evermore- the latter’s title a nod to an Emily Dickinson poem. Her newest album is no exception: as the title suggests, it is filled with allusions to literary classics, from Ancient Greek myths to Peter Pan.

The second track, The Tortured Poets Department, plays on the album title through name-dropping two renowned poets, as well as the Chelsea Hotel, a common abode for tortured poets. She sings “You’re not Dylan Thomas/ I’m not Patti Smith/ This ain’t the Chelsea Hotel/ We’re modern idiots.” Both poets were known to create brilliant work but live difficult lives: Swift is cleverly contradicting the very title and aesthetic of the album, stating her wish to avoid the tortured lifestyle of many geniuses. 

Swift’s clearest literary references come in The Anthology. Cassandra is based around the Ancient Greek prophetess from mythology, as Swift compares Cassandra’s tragic story with her own life to illustrate how society’s attitudes towards women have in some ways remained stagnant. 

Many fans believe that Peter is based on JM Barries’s Peter Pan, written from an adult Wendy’s perspective toward Peter, or that Swift has used this concept to explore her own emotions. The song is certainly full of clear allusions toward the children’s classic, mentioning “the lost boys chapter of your life” and heartbreakingly “But the woman who sits by the window has turned out the light.” Wendy promises to always leave the light on for Peter’s return at the end of the novel. This isn’t the first time Swift has mentioned Peter Pan- in her single cardigan from folklore she sings, “Tried to change the ending/Peter losing Wendy “.

Children’s literature crops up again in the album in the moving I Hate It Here, as The Secret Garden appears as a major part of the chorus: “I hate it here so I will go to/ Secret gardens in my mind/ People need a key to get to/ The only one is mine/ I read about it in a book when I was a precocious child.” This lyric evokes a nostalgia for many fans, many of whom read the classic when they were children, and perfectly illustrates Swift’s longing for the innocence and safety of childhood which she explores in many songs over the years, from Never Grow Up to new Robin.

There are many other literary references throughout the album, from the “ferry lights though the mist” in So Long London -alluding to The Great Gatsby- to an Emily Dickinson reference. The influence Swift takes from a huge diversity of literary classics enriches her lyrics, and, despite her protestations in the title track, turns her into a true “tortured poet.”