Which fictional love triangle connects Taylor Swift’s songs “august,” “cardigan,” and “betty”?

Taylor Swift’s “august,” “cardigan,” and “betty” are connected by the fictional triangle of James, Betty, and Augustine.

The songs appear on Folklore and explore the same imagined teenage relationship from different viewpoints. “august” is associated with Augustine, the young woman who has a summer romance with James. “betty” presents James’s perspective, while “cardigan” centers on Betty and her relationship with him.

The trilogy is an example of Folklore’s fictional storytelling. Swift created characters and story arcs rather than presenting the songs as direct accounts of her own life. The three perspectives overlap, but they do not function like a single chronological narrative with every detail explicitly explained.

A common mistake is to use “August” as the character’s name. August is the month and the song title, while Augustine is the name often used for the narrator in discussions of the trilogy. Another mix-up is assuming that all three songs are love songs about Swift’s personal relationships; the album’s concept deliberately emphasizes imagined characters.