Thomas Wolfe
American · 20th century
American novelist known for his autobiographical fiction exploring themes of home, memory, and the impossibility of return.
Connection to Taylor Swift
Wolfe's central theme, you can't go home again, is a recurring tension in Taylor's catalogue, particularly in the folklore and evermore era songs that deal with hometown nostalgia, memory, and the road not taken.
Notable Works
- Look Homeward, Angel; You Can't Go Home Again; Of Time and the River
Appears in the Archive
Context within the Archive
You Can't Go Home Again
“And it always leads to you and my hometown”
Uncle Jerry reads a lengthy passage from near the end of Thomas Wolfe's novel and identifies it as a key intertextual moment. He says 'you can't go home again' kept echoing in his mind while reading the song. He argues the song's fictional character finds it impossible to turn the corner on her current life and recover the nostalgia of the past, which parallels Wolfe's character George, who returns to his old hometown to re-experience life as he remembered it and realizes he cannot. Angela connects this to 'My Tears Ricochet' where Taylor writes 'I can go anywhere I want, just not home.'