In Taylor Swift’s “august,” the unnamed narrator falls for James during the summer.
James is one point of view in Folklore’s fictional teenage love triangle. He is already connected to Betty, but he has a brief summer romance with the narrator of “august.” When summer ends, James returns to Betty, leaving the “august” narrator to understand that the relationship was never truly hers.
The same story is developed across three songs: “august” presents the perspective of the unnamed girl, “Betty” presents James’s perspective, and “Cardigan” presents Betty’s perspective. Together, the songs show how the same events can feel different to each character.
The narrator herself is not given a definite name in the song. Swift said she privately imagined names such as Augusta or Augustine, but those are not established as the character’s canonical name. James, by contrast, is explicitly identified in the connected narrative, making him the single answer to this question.