In the back of Harvard Book Store, an eager crowd gathered to hear Stephanie Burt discuss the connection that brought them together.
Stephanie Burt, a writer for The New York Times Book Review, The New Yorker and London Review of Books, came to Cambridge to promote her latest body of work, “Taylor’s Version,” a critical appreciation of pop icon Taylor Swift. Drawing from her 2024 Harvard course, “Taylor Swift and Her World,” Burt highlighted the genius of an artist who, according to her, has mastered her craft. Burt’s passion for pop fandom, combined with her expertise in literary analysis, turned a quiet night into a lively atmosphere of cultural connection.
The evening began with Harvard Book Store employee Sabrina Blasik’s introduction of Burt, in which she emphasized the importance of events like this one.
“We’re providing access to all of these fascinating figures and authors who have the knowledge to talk about something really interesting,” Blasik said. “One of the reasons we broadcast these events to the whole store is because if someone walks in and they’re just browsing for books, they can overhear and be like, ‘Oh, there’s something cool going on,’ and they can come over.”
Burt soon took over and opened by sharing just how her book came to be. Previously, songwriters and artists who caught Burt’s attention were not widely popular enough to amount to a course or novel. She had spent time studying The Raincoats, Game Theory and other bands from the 1970s and the 1980s. Her journey with Swift was jump-started, however, when she brought a “Lover” tote bag to her English 20 class. Her students, who were complimentary of the tote, asked if she could advise an independent study on Swift. The concept evolved into a full-fledged course, which Burt agreed to teach, only expecting around a dozen students; not the 300 who signed up.
The course not only drew attention from Harvard students, but Burt’s unique idea was also featured on the “Today” show, Irish public radio, newspapers in Singapore and radio stations in Ecuador. With the public’s enthusiasm and her own admiration for Swift’s work, Burt decided to publish “Taylor’s Version.”
“At last, there was a songwriter whose work I loved, that I knew backwards and forwards and thought about all the time, who had the kind of audience that would allow me to write a book,” Burt said.
From there, Burt transitioned into reading the introduction of her book.
“WELCOME TO EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND, WHERE TAYLOR is everywhere. A man in a feather boa plays ‘You Belong with Me,’ followed by ‘Love Story’ on the bagpipes beside a crowd of tourists…” Burt read.
After the reading, Burt was joined by Elizabeth Ambrose, a doctoral candidate in Harvard’s English department whose research explores contemporary literature, queer poetics and popular culture. Ambrose prompted Burt to reflect on attending the Eras Tour, her thoughts on “The Life of a Showgirl” and the themes that shape Swift’s career.
Burt spoke about her experience seeing Swift live, describing the impact of the concert and reflecting on Swift’s constant challenge of balancing authenticity with people-pleasing in her artistry.
“She tries so hard to be what she thinks she needs to be, and she works very hard to share how it feels to be her with us, even when how it feels to be her seems like too much or cringe, which also means sharing her sense of discomfort,” Burt said. “Some of us really need to hide to be ourselves. Some of us experience making our own authentic art as a direct conflict with making what the world wants. Taylor has not experienced it that way.”
Throughout her talk, Burt drew from concepts in her course, comparing Swift to poets such as William Butler Yeats, John Keats and Alexander Pope. Like Swift, these writers constantly struggled with staying true to themselves while managing public expectations. These parallels emphasized Burt’s belief that popular culture deserves just as much respect as traditional literature.
Mark Xu, originally from China and now living in Boston, came to hear Burt speak.
“I heard the news when this course that she taught made national headlines, so I was always curious. I was jealous of the people who could take the class. It’s fascinating,” Xu said.
“This is something you don’t see in a Harvard classroom so much,” Burt said. “The way Taylor very self-consciously over her eras is able to bring so many people together; that was really cool.”