“Audience and Social Attitudes – Revision 2 – KS3 English – BBC Bitesize.” BBC News, BBC, http://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/z2wp34j/revision/2.

Hanson, Paige. “The Renaissance Outfit.” Renaissance Clothing and Sumptaury Laws, 2010, www-personal.umd.umich.edu/~cfinlay/sumptuary.html.

Rosenthal, Margaret F. “Cultures of Clothing in Later Medieval and Early Modern Europe.” Journal of Medieval and Early Modern Studies, 2009, read.dukeupress.edu/jmems/article-pdf/39/3/459/435933/JMEMES393-01_Rosenthal.pdf.

“Shakespeare’s Sonnet 130.” The Norton Anthology of English Literature, by Stephen Greenblatt et al., vol. 1, W.W. Norton, 2018, pp. 1184–1184.

As Readers we don’t really grasp how much literature, and for this sake, more specifically British Literature is interwoven into all things pop culture. There are multiple instances where a piece of literature is referenced in a pop culture textual context and it becomes an iconic representation of that literature. For example, when younger generations think of ‘Romeo and Juliet,’ they think of Taylor Swift’s song and how she embodied Juliet’s aesthetic throughout the ages to personify the song. Not only did it make a piece of canonical literature gain popularity, it created an image of that literature. This is important because the way that British Literature is portrayed in modern day settings contributes to how it is perceived by modern day audiences. It is important to make sure that accurate essence is not lost in translation when creating modern touches to historical literature. That means, making sure that replications are accurate and align with the way things were back in that time period. It may not seem significant, if the overall message is still present, but it is, at the most, respectful to the authors of the original to allow for their writings to be kept as they were at the beginning. It is a cool thing to allow for literature to evolve over time and to be created in new ways but the essence should remain the same throughout the ages. As an ending example, take Taylor Swift’s ‘Love Story’ performance outfits throughout the eras. As her sets became more modern and contemporary so did her outfits, but the overall message and plot of the song never changed. The authenticity of keeping the literature in its original and iconic state is what matters.

As seen through TV shows and movies it is very important to make sure that replications of historical time periods are historically accurate and performances as well as music videos are no exception. In relation to her outfits that are supposedly replicating the Renaissance and Shakespearean eras, I wanted to look further into if Taylor’s outfits were, in fact, historically accurate. First, it is known the Shakespeare wrote for a variety of class systems which dictates who wears what. Renaissance and Elizabethan Era clothing was strictly dependent upon class status when looking at who wore what. There was a set of laws called ‘Sumptuary Laws’ that laid out what materials, colors and styles of clothing you could wear (BBC 2019). According to Paige Hanson of University of Michigan at Dearborn, Lower classes opted for practicality (mostly linen) whereas Upper Classes usually used materials made of velvet, silk, and satin (Hanson 2010). Since I am analyzing Taylor’s replica of a Juliet type dress from Romeo and Juliet, we can use this information to synthesize the authenticity. Taylor matched the style well by wearing a dress with a tight bodice and fitted fuller skirt that was typical of what most women would wear, according to Hanson. However matching the fabrics is the tricky part. In England, cotton was prohibited until 1793 to protect the wool industry. Romeo and Juliet is set in Verona, Italy. Italy was also affected by the rise of wool products but to my knowledge they did not prohibit cotton because of it. However, Taylor’s outfit looks like it is made from cotton material with velvet embellishments. According to Hanson, crimson and scarlet were reserved for the highest nobility; those being dukes, marquises, and earls. The Capulet family was of a higher class, but not entirely to the extent of nobility. So, consensus shows that Taylor did not create an exact replica of what Juliet would have worn. Taylor also uses lots of gold and silver embellishments, more so tinsel cloth and embroidery, that was also reserved for the nobility, such as a duke or a baron. Juliet would have more likely to have worn a less extravagant dress of a more neutral color, yet she would have still had some attributes of high-class attire.