Music
A Viral Fan Theory Says Sylvia Plath Inspired Taylor Swift’s New Album
The tortured poets in question may not be any of Swift’s exes.
Taylor Swift famously almost never reveals the subject of any of her songs (although “thanK you, aIMee” might beg to differ), but even she might have led fans astray on her new album. Trigger warning: This piece contains details about suicide.
A viral TikTok theory speculates that The Tortured Poets Department is not about any of the men listeners suspected, including Swift’s ex-boyfriend Joe Alwyn and The 1975 lead singer Matty Healy. Rather, her album may actually be an ode to poet Sylvia Plath, and naturally, Swifties are shook.
TikToker @rubym364 found many references to Plath within the album, leading her to theorize that Tortured Poets was at least partially inspired by the American poet and her marriage to British poet Ted Hughes.
Plath died by suicide in 1963, a year after separating from Hughes, and was very open about her mental health struggles in her work. It turns out that there are some parallels found between the album’s subject matter and Plath’s life.
The Leftover Manuscripts
When Plath died, she left behind a manuscript named Ariel, which was later published as a book of poetry by Hughes, possibly nodding to the album’s final track, “The Manuscript.” She also left a “second set of 19 poems,” leading the TikToker to speculate that this is the reason why Tortured Poets is a double album.
The “Cassandra” Connection
Hughes’ second partner, Assia Wevill, also died by suicide in almost the exact same manner as Plath. This has led many literary scholars and biographers to speculate that Hughes was abusive to both women, which Plath has also implied in her own work. Hughes’ widow has denied the accusations.
The TikToker speculates that “Cassandra,” which tells the story of a woman who tried to warn her town about danger and then gets killed doing so, nods to the similar stories of Plath and Wevill.
The “Fortnight” Music Video
Swift’s “Fortnight” music video also contains possible references to Plath’s life. According to Hughes’ poem “Last Letter,” which tells his version of the days leading up to Plath’s death, he implies that she called him from a phone booth several times before her death, but he had not answered because he was with Wevill, who was his mistress at the time.
The video starts with Swift living in a psychiatric institution, perhaps nodding to Plath’s stay at a psych ward. Later on, she endures electro-shock therapy, which Plath also received. The video concludes with her perched atop a phone booth in the rain as her love interest, played by Post Malone, makes a call, presumably to end his current relationship.
Swift warned listeners in the title that this album would be about tortured poets — but she may not have been the only one in question.
If you or someone you know is experiencing suicidal thoughts, call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-273-8255 or text HOME to the Crisis Text Line at 741741. You can also reach out to the Trans Lifeline at 877-565-8860 or the Trevor Lifeline at 1-866-488-7386, or to your local suicide crisis center.
