Robert Browning’s Blank Space
I know. Taylor Swift’s “Blank Space” paralleled with Robert Browning’s “My Last Duchess?” Believe me, no one understands how absurd this sounds more than I do, but it works, does it not?
The whole theme of these two works is how behind closed doors, lives can be completely different than how people and the media imagine them to be. Swift’s caricature of herself, this “nightmare dressed like a daydream” (Swift) lures beautiful men into her life, and through a series of events, either runs them off, or, well, the viewer is left to reach their own conclusions. Browning’s character, the Duke, does the same: marries young girls and, if they are not to his liking, disposes of them as he pleases. Swift’s character, though probably not completely intended to resemble the Duke, does, in fact, resemble him in more ways than one: in their similar lifestyle, in the way Swift and the Duke go about their relationships, all through the use of satire.
While reading the poem, you imagine the Duke’s mansion, with rolling fields and manicured shrubs surrounding a huge estate with white mansion walls. On the inside, however, is a completely different picture. Dark, mahogany halls with barely lit sconces and drapes covering what shouldn’t be seen is what you are intended to imagine. In those halls, stands the Duke with an emissary from a family of whom he wishes to marry into. They discuss his last duchess in the darkness of those enigmatic halls, and move on just as quickly, covering her up (I mean her painting) with the flick of a wrist.Swift’s affairs, are as quick as the batting of an eyelash and almost as alluring. She wines and dines them, making herself out to be someone she is not (i.e. not crazy) and when they unmask the truth, they run away as fast as they can (if they’re lucky). Swift’s lovers have somewhat of a better ending than the Last Duchess, but it’s not a competition.
“Got a long list of ex-lovers
They’ll tell you I’m insane
But I’ve got a blank space, baby
And I’ll write your name” (Swift).
During the honeymoon phase of the relationship everything was perfect for Swift and her new lover. They rode tandem bikes, carved their initials into trees, basic cutesy stuff. Unlike the Duke and the Last (late) Duchess, Swift and her boytoy had a mutual infatuation with the other. It was only until Swift’s true colors began to show that the relationship went sour. After witnessing her lover sneaking texts behind her back, she “got drunk on jealousy” (Swift) and the love affair went south from there. Phones were thrown into lakes, paintings were stabbed, and hundred-thousand-dollar cars were smashed with golf clubs. She assaults him in the climax of the video and that is the final straw, resulting in the lover escaping the way he came. Now, in “My Last Duchess,” nothing is said explicitly about the Duke killing his Duchess. Yes, it is subtly inferred, but not said outright. The reader is left to imagine how he might have done it.
“Oh sir, she smiled, no doubt,
Whene’er I passed her; but who passed without/
Much the same smile? This grew; I gave commands;/
Then all smiles stopped together. There she stands/
As if alive” (Browning 43-47).
The only reason readers believe the Last Duchess is dead and not banished to some monastery in the middle of nowhere is because of the lines “There she stands/ As if alive” (Browning). No one would say “As if alive” if the person were actually alive. Which brings me to my next point.
The end of the video, is perhaps my favorite part. As the old lover, scared by Swift’s maniacal behavior, leaves the estate the way he came, a new lover drives in, right into Swift’s open arms. It’s an endless cycle, a never-ending honeymoon-turned-crazy. Just like with “Blank Space,” Browning makes the reader cringe with the anticipation of a new Duchess; and if she doesn’t do exactly as he wants, then she will end up just like his last Duchess. And who’s to say she’ll be the last? It’s a scary sort of irony, how he wants these perfect women, but doesn’t give them long to live up to his expectations.
The parallel between these two works was just so scrumptious and (to me) deliberate that it was hard not to stop seeing the similarities once I noticed them. Swift’s character is a mystery to the public behind closed doors. But she is viewed as this man-eater, this destroyer of the male ego on a whim. She becomes interested in a man, flies him around the world, takes him into her own home and once she’s through with him, disposes of him. Swift wrote Blank Space in retaliation to the way the media had begun to portray her. She was a boy-crazy teenage girl with “nothing in her brain” (Swift) and her only successes came from break-up ballads. Knowing the truth, she wrote “Blank Space” as a satire, to acknowledge the way the world viewed her and to say “yeah, that’s totally crazy.” The Duke is a satirical character who is caught between the ever-needing and ever-growing want to have control over everything in his life, and with that power, comes a loss of respectability.
Through satire, both Swift and Browning explain toxic relationships: one who uses them until she has no more need for them, and the latter who does the same thing but adds murder to the list. The parallel between the two maniacs, while not deliberate, is still there, between the lines.
The Duke has got a blank space, baby, and he’ll write your name.
Browning, Robert. The Longman Anthology of British Literature. Fourth ed. Vol. 2B. Pearson, 2010. 1325-1326. Print. 5 Dec. 2015.
Miller, Michael G. “Browning’s ‘My Last Duchess’.” Explicator 47.4 (1989): 32-34. MLA International Bibliography. Web. 7 Dec. 2015.
“Taylor Swift – Blank Space.” YouTube. YouTube, 10 Nov. 2014. Web. 07 Dec. 2015.
This was a most intriguing post! I really like this comparison and would have never thought of it. Once you brought it up though, I also could continuously see the interesting connection between the two pieces. I thought that you did a great job using your sources and giving evidence to support your claims. The idea of this satiric continuum of lovers is very interesting and I thought that it was specifically interesting that you chose to mention the ripping of the painting by Swift. I think that it was an interesting parallel for Swift to have a painting of her lover just as the Duke has a hall with all of his late duchess’s paintings on display. Though I do agree that Swift was not trying to create a parallel with the Duke in her maniacal portrayal of herself in “Blank Space,” I think you made a great analysis of the similarities present and how they easily and Swiftly (yes that was a pun) relate to one another.
I’m glad that you start off with a unifying theme: “The whole theme of these two works is how behind closed doors, lives can be completely different than how people and the media imagine them to be.” Here we have the interior/exterior or public/private dichotomies playing out.
This was such a creative post, I would not have thought to compare these works before as you said but reading this made me continuously think and connect their similar themes. Both taylor swift as portrayed in her video and the duke share a strikingly dramatic persona, they both are selfish and consumed with their own wants and desires. I genuinely enjoyed reading this post and appreciate how you went out of the box to make connections from our literature in class to modern day media.
This is a WONDERFUL comparison, and a very interesting at that! I’ll admit I was a bit skeptical at first, but I was hooked almost instantly. To be honest, I had no idea that Blank Space was a satire, and it completely turns my original view of it as just a catchy song right on its head. In light of this persona that Swift has created for this song it’s a lot easier to see the comparison, both Browning and Swift have written dramatic monologues to critique society. And you’re right, the similarities just sort of snowball from there! It’s interesting to think about these two characters as spiders at the center of their webs, drawing in their prey like flies. I also like the way you compared the poem not just to Swift’s song, but her music video as well. It adds to the overall tone of the song and puts her overall message into context. You did a really good job with all the textual/lyrical(?) evidence, all of it is relevant and supports your points well. Overall, this is just so well done!
On a side note, I just love how your excitement permeates the essay; I can just imagine you listening to this song and it suddenly dawning on you how similar it is to “My Last Duchess”, and with each consecutive comparison you get more and more excited!
I really enjoyed reading your post. I thought that this comparison between Taylor Swift and Browning was really cool. I never would have thought of it but reading this and then listening to Blank Space, changed my view. Your analysis was great as to comparing the two pieces of work. My favorite part was how you explained that Swift and Browning depict toxic relationships.
Tiffsrae, you should be a high school English teacher! Comparing Blank Space and My Last Duchess was ingenious. I can picture students sitting down to hear a lecture about My Last Duchess and then you play them the music video for Blank Space instead, which creates great discussion. The comparisons are strangely similar, especially since both the text and the song are satires. I find it interesting that there is a change in gender from the person who is killing/getting rid of their lovers. In the poem, a male, the duke, has killed or gotten rid of his lover. In the song, a female, Taylor, is getting rid of her lovers. I think it would be interesting to rewrite the poem like it was written from the perspective of the duchess getting rid of her lovers. Instead of “My Last Duchess” it would be “My Last Duke.”
I think that this is one of the best comparisons that could have been made! The resemblance between the two pieces of work is uncanny. This comparison between Blank Space and My Last Duchess is something that I, let alone most of the people on here, would have never of made. This idea of not knowing what happens behind closed doors is so creepy when you listen to Blank Space. You have forever changed the way that I listen to that song, but in a good way!
The interior/exterior comparison here is a great point. The song itself serves as a parody of the public’s view of Swift’s private life and relationships with men. It also parodies that unhealthy, possessive relationship we see in My Last Duchess. Great post/song!
Loved this! As far as writing style, I like how you began this post by stating this could be a tough comparison, it made me eager to read on and see what you had to say. I’ve always seen Swift’s song as just a catchy tune about a crazy girlfriend, but seeing clips from the video really drives this comparison home. I didn’t see it as a satire until now either, but the painting comparison makes you realize the thought and artistic vision that was put into this music video. The idea of public/private and the exact comparisons between the song and The Last Duchess are uncanny and I never would have thought about it! (P.S. This makes Blank Space an even more badass song)
What an interesting example Blank space with My Last Duchess, mixing the present with the past has such crazy closeness. Great post, I was influenced by the thoughts you gave about the satirical characters, the way they are both exposed with exaggerated need for power. I really enjoyed these two comparison and gave me a different perspective about the reading. Thanks!
You did a wonderful job on this post! I particularly liked the evidence connecting the two, that you used to your argument’s advantage along with the fact that Swift wrote the satirical song in order to refute claims of her by the media. I noticed the role of luxury and power being intertwined in the foundation of both of the cycles taking place in the pieces. The lyric, “oh my god, look at that face” and in particular the use of the term “face” allows the speaker to objectify her lovers, which is in parallel to the Duke’s objectification of the women (Swift). The use of the paintings was also very interesting to me; she initially gazed at him with admiration while she painted, which is in contrast to the tares in the ruined portrait later on. The elegance of the video had some similarities to elements found in the Pre-Victorian era along with jarring imagery and elements of today. Even the way she dressed was a hybrid of vintage fashion with a modern twist. I think you would enjoy reading the following blog: https://medium.com/synapse/can-literature-and-pop-culture-be-similar-1633ea64226