James is the 17-year-old boy loved by Augustine in Taylor Swift’s “August.” His brief summer relationship with Augustine ends when he returns to Betty, his former lover.
James is one point of view in Folklore’s interconnected teenage-love-triangle story. “August” centers on Augustine’s memories, while “Cardigan” and “Betty” reveal related emotions and events from Betty’s and James’s perspectives.
The song does not present James as a heroic romantic figure. Instead, he is portrayed as someone who participates in a temporary relationship while remaining tied to another person, leaving Augustine with an unresolved memory.
James is sometimes confused with Joe Alwyn, Swift’s then-partner and a credited Folklore collaborator under the name William Bowery. James is a fictional character in the album’s narrative; William Bowery is a songwriting pseudonym connected to real-world album credits.