Author Maggie Nelson has written a book-length essay, The Slicks, comparing pop star Taylor Swift with poet Sylvia Plath, arguing both exemplify the perils of female ambition.
Nelson, a self-confessed Swift fan, told the Edinburgh International Book Festival that the idea came after a conversation with her son's 13-year-old friend, who asked if she had heard of Plath. 'I thought that was funny because I'd written my undergraduate thesis on Plath and I was [almost] 40 years older than her,' she said.
The book examines how society punishes women who openly pursue fame, contrasting Swift's overt ambition with Plath's posthumous fame and the more covert approach of Kamala Harris. Nelson noted that Harris never explicitly said 'I want it' during the US election campaign, which she lost.
Nelson, known for The Argonauts and Bluets, makes a case for Swift as a poet as well as a lyricist, citing her prolific output. She described Swift's songwriting as 'a hydrant gush of productivity', echoing Plath's line about the 'blood jet' of poetry.
The Slicks is dedicated to Alba, the teenager who sparked the idea, and explores themes of fame, creativity and the double standards applied to ambitious women.
