POP star Taylor Swift’s superfans can take their devotion to the next level — by studying her lyrics at university.
A British professor is offering a Taylor-inspired English literature course comparing her work with the likes of Shakespeare, Chaucer and the Bronte sisters.
Professor Elly McCausland, who is a fan of Shake It Off singer Taylor, will use the star’s work as a springboard to explore literature over the centuries.
The Literature (Taylor’s Version) course will be an add-on to the master’s degree in language and literature at Belgium’s Ghent University.
The prof has been flooded with emails from students hoping to sign up.
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She said: “Enough books have already been written about Shakespeare and other dead white men.
“I want to show my students how much fun historical English literature can be.”
She said Taylor, whose hits include Look What You Made Me Do, tackles a lot of the same issues Shakespeare did in her lyrics, adding that the course is not “silly”.
Prof McCausland said she is “absolutely not going to spend three hours every Monday fangirling”.
The university syllabus reads: “This course takes a fresh look at English literature, from the medieval to the Victorian (plus a couple of more modern texts as a bonus), through the lens of one of our most popular modern music artists: Taylor Swift.”
But English literature buffs on social media were not impressed.
John Lynch posted on X: “So we’re comparing classic literature or poetry to Taylor Swift songs now.
“Because a song about her 17th break up this year is like reading Wuthering Heights.”
Lisa Birksey said: “Dumbing down future generations.”
The course is due to start this autumn.
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PM Rishi Sunak is a “Swiftie”, going to one of her gigs while on holiday in the US — and was even at a Taylor-themed cycling session.
