The New York Times addresses a burning question of the day: Should there be an apostrophe in the title of Taylor Swift’s forthcoming album Tortured Poets Department ?
I say the title is fine without. I’d liken the phrase to “current events podcast” or “retired teachers association.” Or, say, “Elks convention.” No apostrophe needed.
Related reading
All OCA apostrophe posts (Pinboard)
[Something to distract myself as the Supreme Court considers the real burning question of the day.]
Thursday, February 8, 2024
Taylor Swift and the apostrophe
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comments: 6
I won't click the link because @#*! that paper, but the clear answer is, "Taylor Swift, and any other artist in any medium, can name their stuff however they want".
I thought this was all settled by Duchamp and Magritte a hundred years ago.
Or Lands’ End, or Waterstones, and so on. But everyone's free to wonder snd quibble about it too.
It's plural, not possessive. The tortured poets don't own the department; it's the department that houses all the tortured poets. The fact that entertainment reporters can't figure that out tells me their credentials should be revoked.
Exactly. You made me think of another example: the foreign languages department.
Also, Dead Poets Society. It would be quite a feat if it were Dead Poets' Society or Dead Poet's Society.
I suspect that might be an inspiration. Or maybe she heard someone gripping about life in an English department. :)
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