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The Swiftie and The Scholar

Angela McDow | Dr. Jerry Coats
The Swiftie and The Scholar
Latest episode

50 episodes

  • The Swiftie and The Scholar

    Superficial Celebrity Criticism in Shake It Off

    16/07/2026 | 1h 37 mins.
    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:
    Catalog Poem
    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
    Anaphora
    Metonymy
    Onomatopoeia
    Epizeuxis
    Polyptoton
    Tautological
    The Waking – Theodore Roethke
    Apostrophe
    Shake It Off music video 
    Stars – Richard Dyer – Aff Link 
    The Swiftie and The Scholar Grading Matrix

    Follow Us:
    Patreon
    ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠
    ⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠
    ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠
    Threads
    ⁠Angela’s Instagram⁠
    Uncle Jerry’s Instagram
  • The Swiftie and The Scholar

    The Mosaic of Love in State of Grace

    09/07/2026 | 1h 9 mins.
    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:
    In medias res
    Kinetic or kinesthetic imagery
    Metonymy
    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
    Synecdoche vs. metonymy
    Litotes
    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
    Tricolon
    The Swiftie and The Scholar Grading Matrix

    Follow Us:
    Patreon
    ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠
    ⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠
    ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠
    Threads
    ⁠Angela’s Instagram⁠
    Uncle Jerry’s Instagram
  • The Swiftie and The Scholar

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

    02/07/2026 | 1h 8 mins.
    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:
    Anaphora
    Colloquial diction
    Dramatic irony
    Free indirect discourse
    Verbal irony
    Auditory imagery
    Metonymy
    Adventures of Huckleberry Finn – Mark Twain – Aff link
    The Divine Comedy – Dante Alighieri – Aff link
    Sonnet 73 – William Shakespeare
    The Great Escape (1963)
    Li'l Abner
    Parataxis
    Father and Son – Cat Stevens
    Keep a-Goin’ – Frank L. Stanton 
    The Swiftie and The Scholar Grading Matrix

    Follow Us:
    Patreon
    ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠
    ⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠
    ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠
    Threads
    ⁠Angela’s Instagram⁠
    Uncle Jerry’s Instagram
  • The Swiftie and The Scholar

    The Chronicles of Conflict in The Great War

    25/06/2026 | 1h 8 mins.
    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
    The Swiftie and The Scholar Grading Matrix

    Follow Us:
    Patreon
    ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠
    ⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠
    ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠
    Threads
    ⁠Angela’s Instagram⁠
    Uncle Jerry’s Instagram
  • The Swiftie and The Scholar

    The Parachute of Childhood in I Knew It, I Knew You

    18/06/2026 | 1h 13 mins.
    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:
    Homonym
    Runnin’ Wild – Some Like It Hot
    Volta
    Emjambment
    Epiphora or Epistrophe
    Leaves of Grass – Walt Whitman
    Anagnorisis
    Epizeuxis
    Dramatic Irony
    Mnemonic
    I Knew It, I Knew You Visualizer
    The Swiftie and The Scholar Grading Matrix

    Follow Us:
    Patreon
    ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠
    ⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠
    ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠
    Threads
    ⁠Angela’s Instagram⁠
    Uncle Jerry’s Instagram
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About 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.
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