“Cardigan” is the Taylor Swift song told from Betty’s perspective in the same Folklore love triangle as “august” and “betty.”
The three songs describe one fictional teenage relationship from different viewpoints. “Cardigan” presents Betty’s perspective, “betty” follows James, and “august” centers on the unnamed girl involved in a summer romance with him.
The songs are connected by recurring characters and events, including James’s infidelity and his eventual attempt to reconcile with Betty. Swift created the narrative as an imagined story rather than a direct account of her own life.
Listeners sometimes assume the unnamed narrator of “august” has a confirmed name such as Augustine or Augusta. Swift said she imagined those possibilities privately, but the character is not named in the song. That distinction is central to the song’s story and its contrast with Betty’s explicitly named perspective.