“Cardigan” tells the love triangle from Betty’s perspective, while Taylor Swift’s “august” presents the viewpoint of the unnamed girl involved with James. “Betty” gives James’s perspective.
Together, the three songs create one of Folklore’s defining narrative devices. Swift uses different voices and details to show how the same teenage relationship can be remembered differently by each person involved.
“Cardigan” focuses on Betty’s memories of intimacy, hurt, and eventual understanding. “Betty” centers on James apologizing after his infidelity. “august” captures the summer romance from the perspective of someone who hoped the relationship might become permanent, even though James was connected to Betty.
Listeners sometimes describe the trilogy as autobiographical, but Swift introduced it as part of Folklore’s fictional or imagined storytelling world. The songs are linked by characters and events, not presented as a confirmed account of Swift’s own life.