The teenage boy in Taylor Swift’s fictional “august” story is named James. He is involved in a brief summer romance with the song’s unnamed narrator while still connected to Betty.
James is one point in Folklore’s three-song love triangle. “august” presents the narrator’s perspective, “Cardigan” presents Betty’s perspective, and “Betty” presents James’s perspective. Together, the songs revisit the same fictional relationship from different viewpoints.
A frequent mix-up is calling the narrator Augustine or Augusta. Swift said she imagined possible names for the character, but the narrator is not actually named in the song. James, by contrast, is explicitly identified as the teenage boy in the broader narrative. His character helps link the three songs into one of Folklore’s best-known story arcs.