James is the boy at the center of Taylor Swift’s fictional “august” storyline. The song’s unnamed female narrator falls for James during a brief summer romance, but he ultimately returns to Betty.
“august” is one part of a three-song narrative on Folklore. “Cardigan” presents Betty’s perspective, “Betty” presents James’s perspective, and “august” presents the perspective of the unnamed girl involved with him. Together, the songs form a fictional teenage love triangle.
The narrator’s lack of an official name is important to the story. Swift said she privately imagined names such as Augusta or Augustine, and fans commonly refer to the character as Augustine. However, those labels identify the narrator, not the boy. James is the explicitly named male character connected to the triangle.
Another possible source of confusion is that “august” does not describe a confirmed real-life relationship. Swift created the characters and narrative as part of Folklore’s move toward fictional storytelling.