In Taylor Swift’s “august” storyline, the unnamed narrator yearns for James.
The song is one part of a fictional teenage love triangle on Folklore. James is already connected to Betty, but he has a brief summer romance with the female narrator of “august.” When the summer ends, James ultimately returns to Betty, leaving the narrator to reflect on a relationship that was never fully hers.
James is the boy’s name; the narrator of “august” is not officially given a name. Swift said she privately imagined names such as Augusta or Augustine for that character, which led fans to use “Augustine” as an informal identifier.
Another common mix-up is treating Betty as the narrator of “august.” Betty is the character at the center of “cardigan” and the person James tries to reconcile with in “betty.” The three songs present related perspectives rather than one narrator speaking throughout.