“Cardigan” shares the Folklore love-triangle storyline with “august” from Betty’s perspective. The related songs are “Cardigan,” “august,” and “Betty,” each presenting a different viewpoint within the fictional narrative.
“august” follows the unnamed girl involved with James during the summer. “Cardigan” gives Betty’s perspective, while “Betty” presents James’s account and his attempt to repair the relationship. The three songs are connected by characters and events rather than by a continuous musical form.
Some listeners mistakenly treat the songs as autobiographical chapters in Swift’s life. Swift instead described Folklore as using fictional narratives, imagined story arcs, and characters. The trilogy’s appeal comes from how each song reveals different emotional information about the same relationship.