What did Taylor Swift call the three-song story linking “august,” “cardigan,” and “betty”?

Taylor Swift called the connected story in “august,” “cardigan,” and “betty” the Teenage Love Triangle.

The three songs show the same fictional relationship from different perspectives. “August” follows the unnamed girl involved in a summer romance with James. “Cardigan” centers on Betty, while “Betty” gives James a chance to explain his actions.

Swift used fictional characters and imagined story arcs throughout Folklore. This approach differed from the assumption that every song was a direct account of her personal experiences. The triangle therefore works as a piece of album storytelling rather than a confirmed biography.

The songs do not form a single chronological track sequence on the album. Their connection comes from recurring characters, events, and emotional viewpoints, which encouraged listeners to reconstruct the story across separate tracks.