In this episode, we dive into “Father Figure” — a song that dramatizes the complex dynamics between a young, vulnerable artist and the powerful adults who offer guidance and protection. We also explore why she credited George Michael and her own battle for creative control. As the final track in Act 1 of this unfolding drama, “Father Figure” shows our heroine at a crossroads, faced with a difficult choice between two less-than-ideal options: surrender to the forces that want to keep her...
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In this episode, we dive into “Father Figure” — a song that dramatizes the complex dynamics between a young, vulnerable artist and the powerful adults who offer guidance and protection. We also explore why she credited George Michael and her own battle for creative control. As the final track in Act 1 of this unfolding drama, “Father Figure” shows our heroine at a crossroads, faced with a difficult choice between two less-than-ideal options: surrender to the forces that want to keep her...
3: "The Fate of Ophelia"— love story or origin story?
LIT112: The Life of a Showgirl with Mara Eller
27 minutes
2 weeks ago
3: "The Fate of Ophelia"— love story or origin story?
In this episode, we dive into “The Fate of Ophelia” — dramatic chapter one of Taylor Swift’s concept album. At first listen, it might sound like a classic love story — a damsel saved by her hero. But if you read this song as part one of the larger narrative, it’s the inciting incident — the spark that sets off the showgirl’s rise to stardom and the struggles that follow. Dig a little deeper, and you find Shakespearean irony, unreliable narration, and a chilling meditation on power, self-aband...
LIT112: The Life of a Showgirl with Mara Eller
In this episode, we dive into “Father Figure” — a song that dramatizes the complex dynamics between a young, vulnerable artist and the powerful adults who offer guidance and protection. We also explore why she credited George Michael and her own battle for creative control. As the final track in Act 1 of this unfolding drama, “Father Figure” shows our heroine at a crossroads, faced with a difficult choice between two less-than-ideal options: surrender to the forces that want to keep her...
