Myth and Intertextuality in Taylor Swift’s Songs

This paper examines the role of myth as an intertextual element in Taylor Swift’s songs, focusing on the ways in which her songwriting engages with classical mythology and literary traditions to articulate contemporary female experience. Swift’s lyrics frequently employ intertextual references as a means of negotiating themes related to gender, power and identity within patriarchal or social structures. Drawing on theories of intertextuality, this study analyses songs such as “Cassandra” and “The Fate of Ophelia” to explore how Swift appropriates and reinterprets classical myths, particularly the myth of Orpheus and Cassandra, in order to address questions of female identity. Her use of mythological allusion not only deepens the symbolic and poetic dimensions of her lyrics but also situates her work within broader literary and cultural discourses. The results, however, suggest that Swift is not entirely successful in challenging or overturning patriarchal representations of women embedded in classical texts and male-oriented societies.