Connor Sempf
The Secret History is certainly a tale of mystery cast upon the readers through an unsolved murder. But the events themselves of the story do not stand atop the pedestal of creepiness. Several passages throughout the book lift the dark academia theme of the story to new heights. With the help of an eerie aesthetic with dark academic tones while using highly specific and tailored language and description, the text creates a subconscious but powerful feeling of disturbance. Moreover, these elements do more to create a dark and sinister feel for the story than the upfront plot of a murder mystery does. This idea carries such relevance to not only The Secret History, but to any story whether it be a book or movie. There is a need for the thorough, underlying details in any story in order to have a deeper connection to the audience and create a more compelling story.
One specific passage in chapter two of The Secret History goes all in on creating a landscape of eeriness filled with dark tones. One night, when Richard goes to visit the apartment of Charles and Camilla, his point of view paints a visual in the readers’ minds. The first thing that this passage does to excite readers is use a complete smorgasbord of descriptive language to paint a picture of the apartment of Charles and Camilla. Words like “dusty brocades…doilies…candelabra…galoshes” (Tartt, 65) permeate the text. “an old stereopticon…a staghorn fern; a bird’s skeleton” (65) are also mentioned. On the surface, these objects and descriptions of the apartment just seem like a recounting of Richard’s observations.
But when describing a situation that includes such old technology, vintage clothing and décor, and even skeletons, they all combine to create a feeling of spookiness that fits the vibe of dark academia. This passage is an example of adding extra detail to create a story with dark elements beyond the idea of a murder mystery. Missing a passage like this would take away the extra sinister elements that make the story complete.
Although this passage and others creates a dark aesthetic with the use of descriptive language that is conscious to the reader. There is a subconscious but powerful feel that throws the calmness of the descriptive text from the previous passage out the window. The passage wasn’t just describing the living space of a character that just happened to be of a particularly old taste. A creation of extra detail and aesthetic was occurring that may not be apparent from just reading the passage alone. But when combining it with the events of the story, there is a more complete book. On one hand there is a tale of characters and events that shape the plot. But then there are the supporting elements like this passage that create a subconscious addition to the story. In the case of The Secret History, those subconscious elements are the eeriness and sinister nature that the book would fall short of creating without.
Without elements like this, a story can only go so far in trying to immerse a reader into the story. Specific areas in the text like “Camilla’s night table was littered with empty teacups, leaky pens, dead marigolds in a waterglass…with unexpected windows and halls that led nowhere and low doors I had to duck to get through” (65) provide a hidden darkness and have a greater mysterious effect on the story than the upfront events could on their own. Of course, this passage alone is not the only source of uncanny elements. Right at the start of the story, a murder is described. But that alone is lifeless without the aid of text like “The snow in the mountains was melting” (3), or “state troopers, the FBI, even an army helicopter; the college closed, the dye
factory in Hampden shut down” (3). These different areas of the text support the events of the story and end up doing more to add the dark tone to the book.
The Secret History would fall short in creating the dark theme of a murder mystery without the use of descriptive language. This book isn’t the only one that depends on language. With any other story, try to find these elements hidden between the events that draw the most attention. Find the areas in the text that are meant to lift the story with surface level details that add to the themes and tones subconsciously. All good stories should have this aspect.
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