Literary Lessons With Taylor Swift Quiz

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. In "Love Story," Taylor shines a new light on a classic tragedy by singing, "You were Romeo, you were throwing pebbles, and my daddy said, 'Stay away from Juliet.'" This song rewrites "Romeo and Juliet" by which playwright?

Answer: William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare was born in April 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon, England, and is one of the most well-known playwrights in the world. He wrote about 39 plays and 154 sonnets before his death in 1616.

First performed in 1597, "Romeo and Juliet" tells the tale of two teenagers of rival families in Verona, Italy. Their five-day, star-crossed romance ends with their deaths.

The song "Love Story" was the lead single from Taylor Swift's second album "Fearless," released in 2008. Instead of dying, Romeo proposes to Juliet with her father's blessing.

2. Taylor references the novel "The Great Gatsby" in a few songs, most obviously "This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things" when she says, "Feeling so Gatsby for that whole year." Which American author penned this classic?

Answer: F. Scott Fitzgerald

"The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald was published in 1925. After moving to Long Island, the novel's narrator, Nick Carraway, befriends millionaire Jay Gatsby who is known for his lavish parties.

F. Scott Fitzgerald is a great American author known for depicting the Jazz Age. He was born in Saint Paul, Minnesota, in September 1896. Some of his other works include "This Side of Paradise," "The Beautiful and Damned," and "Tender Is the Night."

Taylor's "This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things" opens by describing a Gatsby-like, big party where guests "jump into the pool from the balcony" and the "bass beat [rattles] the chandelier." The song is from her 2017 "Reputation" album.

3. Another reference to "The Great Gatsby" is seen in "Happiness." Taylor alludes to a famous quote from the book in the lyric, "I hope she'll be a beautiful fool." In the book, the line reads, "I hope she'll be a fool-that's the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool." Which character says this?

Answer: Daisy Buchanan

Daisy Buchanan is the object of Jay Gatsby's obsession though she is married to Tom Buchanan. The "beautiful little fool" line is spoken by Daisy in chapter one, referring to her young daughter. The quote speaks to the societal role of women at the time.

"Happiness" is a slow ballad sung to a former lover about finding happiness after a breakup. It is from Taylor's "Evermore" album which was released in 2020.

4. The song "So It Goes..." is a reference to a line used repeatedly throughout which of these books by Kurt Vonnegut?

Answer: Slaughterhouse-Five

"Slaughterhouse-Five, or, The Children's Crusade: A Duty-Dance with Death" written by Kurt Vonnegut was released in 1969. It is an anti-war novel that follows the life of time-traveling Billy Pilgrim.

The line "so it goes..." is used throughout the book after a death to signify that life goes on.

Kurt Vonnegut was born in November 1922 in Indianapolis, Indiana. He joined the US Army in 1943 and fought in WWII, including the infamous Battle of the Bulge. His time in the war influenced "Slaughterhouse-Five."

"So It Goes..." is another song from "Reputation." Similarly to Vonnegut, Taylor uses the line as a transition to illustrate how the relationship she sings of progresses.

5. In "New Romantics," Taylor sings, "We show off our different scarlet letters, trust me, mine is better." Which character wore the scarlet A in Nathaniel Hawthorne's "The Scarlet Letter"?

Answer: Hester Prynne

Nathaniel Hawthorne was born in Salem, Massachusetts, in July 1804. His writing was part of the Romantic movement. Romanticism is characterized by an emphasis on emotion, individualism, and a love of nature.

"The Scarlet Letter" was published in 1850. The book tells the story of Hester Prynne who is forced to wear a scarlet A marking her as an adulterer. However, she wears it proudly and it later means "Able."

Today, wearing a scarlet letter is a symbol of societal stigma or public shame.

"New Romantics" is a deluxe edition bonus track from "1989," released in 2014. Taylor sings of being proud of her scarlet letter and not minding the public's view of her. She sings, "I could build a castle out of all the bricks they threw at me."

Taylor also references "The Scarlet Letter" in "Love Story" when she sings, "Cause you were Romeo. I was a scarlet letter."

6. In the song "Getaway Car," Taylor states, "It was the best of times, the worst of crimes." This is a clever twist on the opening lines of which Charles Dickens novel?

Answer: A Tale of Two Cities

"A Tale of Two Cities" opens with "It was the best of times, the worst of times..." This 1859 classic by Charles Dickens takes place in London and Paris during the time of the French Revolution. It is one of his most popular works and has been adapted into many films, TV shows, plays, and musicals.

Born in Portsmouth, England, in February 1812, Charles Dickens is one of the most well-known and loved Victorian authors. His first novel, "The Pickwick Papers," was published in 1836.

"Getaway Car" is also featured on "Reputation." The song tells the story of a disastrous and treacherous romance.

7. In "Cardigan," Taylor laments about missing a lover. She sings, "Tried to change the ending, Peter losing Wendy." Which British author created the character Peter Pan?

Answer: J. M. Barrie

J. M. Barrie's Peter Pan is one of the most well-known children's book characters. His first appearance was in the 1904 play "Peter Pan" and then the 1911 book "Peter and Wendy."

Peter whisks Wendy Darling and her brothers to the island of Neverland which is filled with fairies, pirates, and mermaids. Many are familiar with the animated Disney adaptation released in 1953.

"Cardigan" was the lead single from Taylor's 2020 album "Folklore." The slow, bittersweet song is about a lost romance from youth.

8. "Take me to the Lakes where all the poets went to die," begs Taylor in her song "The Lakes." She goes on to sing, "I've come too far to watch some namedropping sleaze tell me what are my words worth." This is a nod to the poet William Wordsworth who famously wrote in the Lake District of what country?

Answer: England

William Wordsworth was born in Cockermouth, England, in April 1770. He was the Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom from 1843 to 1850.

Wordsworth was a Romantic writer and prominent member of the Lake Poets along with Samuel Taylor Coleridge and Robert Southey. These poets lived in the beautiful Lake District in North West England.

Some of Wordsworth's best-known poems include "The Prelude," "Lines Written a Few Miles above Tintern Abbey," "Lucy Gray," and "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud."

"The Lakes" is the deluxe edition song from "Folklore." With lyrics full of escapism, Taylor sings, "I want auroras and sad prose. I want to watch wisteria grow right over my bare feet."

9. Taylor references another children's book in "Wonderland" by saying she "fell down a rabbit hole" and asking her lover, "Didn't you calm my fears with a Cheshire Cat smile?" What was the name of the girl who fell down the rabbit hole in a tale by Lewis Carroll?

Answer: Alice

Lewis Carroll was born Charles Lutwidge Dodgson in Daresbury, England, in January 1832.

His most famous works are "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" and the sequel "Through the Looking-Glass," which were published in 1865 and 1871 respectively. In the first book, young Alice falls down a rabbit hole and finds herself in the fantastical Wonderland. She meets very many strange characters.

"Wonderland" is another deluxe edition bonus track from "1989." It tells of a whirlwind romance that is "all fun and games 'til somebody loses their mind."

10. Twice Taylor has made an allusion to the poem "The Road Not Taken" in her music. In "Illicit Affairs," she sings, "Take the road less traveled by. Tell yourself you can always stop." Which of these American poets wrote this iconic piece of poetry?

Answer: Robert Frost

Robert Frost's "The Road Not Taken" was first published in 1915 and then included in his 1916 poetry collection, "Mountain Interval." The narrator of the poem is walking in the woods when he stops at a fork in the path. He chooses to take "the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference."

Robert Frost was born in San Francisco, California, in March 1874. He was a four-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry. He is known for his writing about nature and rural, New England life.

"Illicit Affairs," from the album "Folklore," provides advice on keeping a love affair secret. Taylor first referenced "The Road Not Taken" on her debut album "Taylor Swift" from 2006. In "The Outside," she sings, "I tried to take the road less traveled by, but nothing seems to work the first few times."

Source: Author zebra101

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor LeoDaVinci before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

Taylor Swift is known for her superb songwriting skills, and she often references classic literature. I'll give you a lyric and you answer a lit question based on it. (No knowledge of Taylor Swift or her songs is needed.) Enjoy!

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