It seems that Taylor Swift‘s ‘Tortured Poets Department‘ also includes another tortured female poet who has her name engraved in history, who surprisingly, has just been proven to be a relative of Taylor’s. We’re talking, of course about Emily Dickinson.
Recent reports suggest that Emily Dickinson and Taylor Swift are related by their ancestry. Here are a few connections that fans, and Taylor herself have made with the American poet.
Related: Who Is Clara Bow, The Woman Taylor Swift Wrote A Song For In ‘The Tortured Poets Department’ Album?
Taylor Swift Is Connected To Emily Dickinson Through Ancestry
Genealogy expert ‘Ancestry‘ has revealed that Taylor Swift and Emily Dickinson are closely related through their grandfathers.
The report says, “Swift and Dickinson both descend from a 17th century English immigrant (Swift’s 9th great-grandfather and Dickinson’s 6th great-grandfather who was an early settler of Windsor, Connecticut),”
It further reveals, “Taylor Swift’s ancestors remained in Connecticut for six generations until her part of the family eventually settled in northwestern Pennsylvania, where they married into the Swift family line.”
The revelation surely shouldn’t be a huge surprise as Swift has often talked about Dickinson, especially in the wake of her album ‘Evermore‘. Here are some parallels that fans and Swift herself have drawn between both the tortured poets.
In Case You Missed It: Has Taylor Swift Actually Written Any Songs For Her Favorite Show ‘Gilmore Girls’?
Connections Between Taylor Swift And Emily Dickinson
In 2022 as she received the Songwriter-Artist of the Decade Award from the Nashville Songwriters Association International, Taylor said, “If my lyrics sound like a letter written by Emily Dickinson’s great-grandmother while sewing a lace curtain, that’s me writing in the Quill genre.”
For the record, Swift has divided the songwriting of her songs between different genres that are divided on the basis of what was used (hypothetically) to write them.
Further, her album ‘Evermore‘ was released on December 10, 2020, which also happens to be Emily Dickinson’s birthday.
Dickinson also has a poem called ‘One Sister Have I in Our House‘, where the last line goes “Sue and Me, Forevermore” which seems to be pretty close to the name of Swift’s album, and also very similar to a lyric in her song ‘New Year’s Day’ where she sings “You and me, forevermore.”
We have known enough about Taylor Swift to know that nothing she does is ever ‘accidental‘ or a ‘co-incidence‘. She is, in fact, a mastermind.
Taylor Has Written A Song For Emily Dickinson
Swift’s album ‘Evermore‘ is filled with poetic references and music that is reminiscent of what Dickinson’s poetry was like. One such song from the album, ‘Ivy‘ is about an illicit affair between a married person, who, despite having a husband is in love with another person. Though the genders of the two lovers aren’t specified in the song, fans were quick to bring in a sapphic twist to its meaning, assuming that the song is about the affair between two women, one of whom is stuck in a loveless marriage.
Taylor Swift is related to poet Emily Dickinson and announced Evermore on Emily’s birthday. The song Ivy, which is on this album, was also used during an erotic scene between Emily and her sister-in-law, Sue Gilbert, on the Apple TV show called Dickinson. 😏🏳️🌈💅🏼 #TSTTPD https://t.co/asXr4EXahN
— holly flower (@thatsthefunofme) March 4, 2024
This plot, however, isn’t completely unprecedented as it’s similar to what Emily and her lover Sue, who later married Emily’s brother, looked like. Many fans started to draw parallels between certain scenes from the Apple TV+ show ‘Dickinson‘ where Hailee Steinfeld (another friend of Swift’s) and Ella Hunt play the roles of Emily and Sue, and the lyrics of the song. Fair enough, sometime after its release, the song was used in the series during an intimate moment between both women.
emily dickinson and sue gilbert making love with ivy by taylor swift in the background is the perfect choice pic.twitter.com/y8KzYA4mrJ
— lou (@sapphicemisue) March 4, 2024
Which brings us back full circle. Is anything Taylor Swift does ever accidental? Quite possibly not. For now, fans are excited to listen to her eleventh album, ‘The Tortured Poets Department’ which will be out on April 19th.
You Might Like To Read:
