Théophile Gautier
French · 19th century
French Romantic author and poet, known for Gothic fiction including the vampire novella La Morte Amoureuse (1836).
Connection to Taylor Swift
His Gothic exploration of obsession, the boundary between life and death, and the vengeful undead female figure parallels recurring themes in Taylor's folklore-era songwriting.
Notable Works
- La Morte Amoureuse, Mademoiselle de Maupin, Émaux et Camées
Appears in the Archive
Context within the Archive
La Morte Amoureuse
“And you can aim for my heart, go for blood / But you would still miss me in your bones”
Uncle Jerry draws a parallel to Gautier's Gothic short story about a priest who takes holy orders and the woman, revealed as a vampire, who loves him and sucks at him to sustain herself. He connects this to the song's themes of vindictiveness, obsession, and the boundary between life and death: the narrator feels like a vampire going for blood, haunting the antagonist even in his bones, angry that he chose something else (money, in this case) over her. Uncle Jerry also notes the connection to the broader White Lady vampire tradition within folklore.