"Now the sun burns my heart and the sand hurts my feelings" This is a re-air of one of our favorite episodes. We’re looking at the literary symbolism of summer — freedom, danger, nostalgia, and everything in between. Jenn breaks down "Cruel Summer" (Lover, 2019), Jodi covers "August" (folklore, 2020), and Maansi digs into "hits different" (Midnights, 2023). Along the way we bring in The Great Gatsby, A Midsummer Night's Dream, and more to unpack why summer shows up in literature as both a season of freedom and a season that can cut you to the bone.
Two ways to get more of AP Taylor Swift:
Substack: free subscribers get episode updates. Paid subscribers get After School: bonus episodes, our full written archive, and a vote in what we cover next.
Apple Podcasts: paid subscribers get ad-free episodes, early episode access, and bonus episodes
Mentioned in this episode:
Episode Highlights:
[02:30] Topic introduction — Summer in literature
[09:32] "Cruel Summer" (Lover, 2019)
[20:05] "August" (folklore, 2020)
[34:05] "hits different" (Midnights, 2023)
Follow AP Taylor Swift podcast on social!
Contact us at aptaylorswift@gmail.com
Affiliate Codes:
Krowned Krystals - krownedkrystals.com use code APTS at checkout for 10% off!
Libro.fm - Looking for an audiobook? Check out our Libro.fm playlist and use code APTS30 for 30% off books found here tinyurl.com/aptslibro
This podcast is neither related to nor endorsed by Taylor Swift, her companies, or record labels. All opinions are our own. Intro music produced by Scott Zadig aka Scotty Z.