With only a week left until the release of The Tortured Poets Department, the department of English and World Languages has transitioned into its Folklore and Evermore eras.

Folklore (2020) is a drastic shift from its predecessor Lover, as the album (which was written, produced, and released during the Covid-19 pandemic) uses a folk-pop sound to create an escape from reality and into a world in woods. Folklore follows the love triangle between Betty, August, and James, and takes listeners through a journey of shared memories, myths, and personal legends. Other themes off this album include empathy, nostalgia, and romanticism. Some key songs from this record include “Cardigan,” “Exile,” “Mirrorball,” and “August.”

Evermore (2020) follows in its sister album’s footsteps by transcending users to another reality, one that is both warm with memories and cold from current reflections of them. Themes from this album include forbidden love, romantic neglect, forgiveness, marriage, and infidelity. Notable songs from this album include “Willow,” “Champagne Problems,” “Tolerate It,” and “Ivy.”

You may be in your Folklore era too if you:

• Love the dark academia aesthetic
• Are learning how to manage burnout
• Every other post on your Instagram is a tree
• Are a major multi-tasker
• Turn darkness from the past into soft sunshine
• Are a member of George Street Press

You may be in your Evermore era too if you:

• Are a yearly Ren-Faire attendee that loves to bring a character to life
• Shoulder a lot of responsibilities but are finding ways to make your magic grow
• Building your new normal, learning what you can do to recognize and accommodate your needs as a member of ADAPT
• Cunning eye for detail and a love for nature

Dr. Baldys is in her Folklore era because this album is one of Taylor’s most lyrically detailed with many connections to Dr. Baldys’ area of study: Victorian Literature!

Dr. Farkas is in her Folklore era because even though she can’t teach you to read minds, she can definitely help you turn your writing around!

Dr. Mondello is in her Evermore era because she incorporates themes of the supernatural, whimsical, and magical within her each of her literature courses. Since Dr. Mondello started during Covid, we have seen how much she has grown into her position, just as Taylor did as an artist during this album, and she comes back as a stronger professor each semester!

Dr. Mando is in his Evermore era because he recognizes the connections between nature and literature, as seen in songs like “Ivy” and “No Body, No Crime” on the album.

There are many literature connections off of Folklore and Evermore, but a few highlights include:

Folklore:

“Cardigan” and Peter Pan

“Mirrorball” and “Lady Lazarus” by Sylvia Plath

“Invisible String” and The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway and Jane Eyre

“Mad Woman” and Wide Sargasso

“The Lakes” and The Laker Poets and the Romantic Era

Evermore:

“Tolerate It” and Rebecca

“Happiness” and The Great Gatsby

“Ivy” and Jane Eyre

“Evermore” and Emily Dickinson’s poem “One Sister Have I in the House”