What storytelling device connects Taylor Swift’s “august,” “cardigan,” and “betty”?

A love triangle connects Taylor Swift’s “august,” “cardigan,” and “betty.”

The three Folklore tracks present different perspectives on a relationship involving James, Betty, and the unnamed female narrator of “august.” “cardigan” is associated with Betty’s perspective, “betty” follows James, and “august” portrays the young woman involved with James during the summer.

Swift used fictional characters and shifting viewpoints to build a small narrative world across the album. This approach differs from the assumption that every song in her catalog directly documents her own relationships. The characters’ perspectives overlap, but they do not tell exactly the same emotional story.

In “august,” the narrator experiences the romance as meaningful even though James ultimately returns to Betty. The song therefore captures an unreciprocated or unequal attachment rather than a stable partnership. Recognizing the love-triangle structure helps explain references to summer, memory, regret, and the feeling that the narrator was never truly entitled to the relationship.