Narrative Construction, Identity Formation, and Cultural Representation in Taylor Swift’s Folklore: A Literary and Cultural Inquiry
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.63931/ijchr.v8i1.607Keywords:
Folklore, Narratology, Cultural Studies, Memory Studies, Myth, SymbolismAbstract
This study examines Folklore as a literary and cultural text through the combined frameworks of Narratology, Cultural Studies, Memory Studies, and selected approaches to myth and symbolic interpretation. Rather than approaching the album merely as a musical production or autobiographical reflection, the study investigates how selected songs construct meaning through narrative design, memory, symbolic representation, and cultural imagination. Through close textual reading, the analysis is organized into three clusters: (1) multiperspectival storytelling in Cardigan, August, and Betty; (2) memory, identity formation, and emotional survival in Mirrorball, This Is Me Trying, Mad Woman, My Tears Ricochet, Seven, and August; and (3) myth, symbolism, and cultural imagination in The Last Great American Dynasty, Invisible String, Epiphany, and Peace. Findings suggest that Folklore extends beyond contemporary popular music and functions as a literary space where narrative construction, cultural meaning, and emotional experience intersect. The study argues that contemporary songwriting may serve as an evolving form of literary expression capable of sustaining critical interpretation.
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