Spencer Yahn

What causes a friend group to be so destructive that it leads to the death of one of its members? In the first paragraph of chapter 1, Richard’s downfall due to the intense isolation and highbrow nature of Julian’s group is foreshadowed through the vivid imagery and description of his fatal flaw in this passage. This ultimately demonstrates to the reader how damaging an elitist society and the desperate desire to fit in can be on someone and makes us question whether or not Richard’s fate was inevitable.

The contrast between the diction in this first passage and the following ones shows how vividly Richard thinks about what he enjoys and how little interest he has in his hometown where he believes he had a dull life. Donna Tartt uses dark language to reinforce the same feelings felt by the reader during the prologue and to contrast how Richard feels about his hometown with how he feels about his new life. The usage of phrases such as, “dark crack,” “morbid,” “fatal flaw,” and “at all costs” lays the foundation for the tone of the entire book and gives an eerie feeling to the reader, which connects perfectly with the information we are given in the prologue about Bunny’s eventual death (Tartt 6). This dark and eerie feeling given by the diction and imagery in this first paragraph reinforces the feeling the reader gets when hearing about Richard’s morbid longing. Because the reader already knows about the outcome of Bunny’s death, the choice of diction in the first passage of Chapter 1 is much more impactful. This reinforces the key ideas of Dark Academia and how the main character is obsessed with these same descriptions, which will eventually lead to his downfall of committing horrible acts against his own classmate.

This particular passage of the book is different from the rest we have read so far because it has Richard specifically mentioning his obsession. It has been alluded to slightly, but now the reader knows exactly what it is, and can begin to wonder what it will result in. This causes the reader to have a new perspective on Richard right at the start of the book, and wonder if he could be a flawed narrator. Richard questions, “Does such a thing as ‘the fatal flaw,’ that showy dark crack running down the middle of a life…” which hints towards how this obsession will drastically affect other characters in the story. (Tartt 6). Because Richard specifically says, “at all costs,” we know that this will result in something terrible happening due to Richard’s fatal flaw (Tartt, 6). This demonstrates to the reader that the elite society he so desperately wants to fit in with will damage his well being and cause him to act in ways he would not have at home, thus creating a crack through the group, similar to what he describes metaphorically.

This small passage essentially provides the context for the entire book, and through looking back at this specific section, it is apparent that all things that happen to Richard and the rest of Julian’s students relates to the “fatal flaw” that Richard describes. His specific fatal flaw is the entire reason for him attending Hampden in the first place. He chose Hampden because of the view on the pamphlet he later describes. It is also the reasoning behind dropping all of his classes and joining the other students in Julian’s teachings. It could be argued that this elitist group of students gives him new meaning in his life at Hampden. However, after reading more and more of the book, it becomes apparent to the reader that it will cause nothing but harm to Richard. This leaves the reader wondering if the death of Bunny could have been stopped or if it was fate that brought Richard to Hampden and caused this tragic ending.

Ultimately, the reader can understand from this passage that elitism is damaging to a society and its members. The idea that a group is beyond the laws and morals of society leads to drastic outcomes, such as the one alluded to in the prologue, and it can be seen that these elite groups should not be romanticized so heavily.

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Works Cited: A

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. 

Works Cited: A

Raine Simon

Imagine chills that shoot down the spine and slowly creep up the span of the skin as the instant cold, frozen air and biting wind becomes tangible through the intricate sounds of the violin solo. Imagine the rising panic that parallels the ominous and increasing crescendo that is met with a gripping, beautifully entrancing song of death. When one hears Antonio Vivaldi’s Winter, the surreal and sinister beauty blurs the line between terror and enchantment, perfectly capturing the essence of winter and its undisputable duality. Vivaldi summons this lasting effect that seems to eternally rest within the listener’s psyche, a surreal realm that resides in the subconscious, one characterized by the distortion and dismemberment of reality. Generation after generation, for four centuries, Vivaldi’s Winter has yet to dissipate from the human experience, remaining unchanged within the ever-changing world.

This idea of eternal existence, one lying in the surreal realm, is explored in Donna Tartt’s The Secret History, which emphasizes the significance and presence of duality within life and reality. Specifically, in death, one lives forever. In pain and terror, one finds beauty. Within the lifeless, one finds life itself. Within the human experience, the surreal cannot be completely severed from the real. These highlight the fundamental strive and struggle of humanity: balance. Across history, many philosophical and spiritual approaches to conceptualize balance have arisen. Duality or dichotomy, from the ancient Greek dikhotomia “division into two parts,” is one approach explored in The Secret History. The novel follows the memories of Richard Papin, a young college student from Plano, California as he recounts the events at Hampden College in Vermont with his five friends, which ultimately lead to the death of one. A socially isolated group, the six friends are captivated by the Classics, which are intrinsically dualistic. Although revered as beautiful, elegant text, much of the Classics deals with themes of brutal death and sexual perversion that are quite abhorrent to modern readers. For instance, Roman culture was characterized by the cruelty of death, so much so that it was a form of entertainment, such as gladiator fights and crucifixion. Additionally, Greek mythology, while similarly gruesome, also contains much sexual exploitation. Many gods, such as Zeus, raped mortal women. Despite this nature, the Classics are renowned for their beauty, poise, and sophistication. To test the dualistic concepts they learn in their studies of the Classics, the friends replicate the narratives they romanticize, exercising extreme imbalance by living in distortions of reality. 

Such is especially prevalent in Richard’s memory at Francis’s house. While walking in the lake with Henry and Richard, Camilla, another group member, steps on a shard of glass, slicing her foot open. Henry frantically carries Camilla’s limp body from the lake to the bank while the other members intensely scurry in panic. Richard recounts the moment as picturesque and dreamlike, his ultimate fatal flaw. As imbalance in any nature brings about varying consequences, the characters in the novel are ultimately bound to damnation as a result of living exclusively in the surreal. The dualistic language in The Secret History foreshadows the characters’ inescapable doom because it highlights the fundamental gravity of balance within life.

Duality of life and death is confirmed in Richard’s metaphoric recollection of Camilla’s accident. For example, the memory as a whole serves as an extended metaphor comparing a captured memory to a work of art or “painting too vivid to be real” (Tartt 98). Richard illustrates the scene as a piece of art: vivid, striking, and acutely graphic. In this way, he removes himself from reality by creating a surreal world lying outside of time and space. Within such a realm, he possesses the power to pause and capture a single moment in eternity. Thus, Richard tries to transcend mortal existence by creating the “picturesque” (1) because in death, one lives on through one’s legacies. A person’s essence can be felt through their art, whether paintings, music, or literature, because the person captures a moment, idea, or feeling of eternity, which supports that duality is fundamental to life itself. Likewise, Richard paints his life as artwork, fabricating dreamlike realities in which his essence lives on through his death. However, in this way, Richard overlooks the severity of the situation. Instead of addressing the dangers of the moment, he has left reality. The omnipresence of balance in life shows one cannot successfully avoid reality. Thus, metaphoric language communicates Richard’s coming doom.

Duality of beauty, terror, and death is proposed through the use of juxtaposition to draw connections between the deceivingly contradictory ideas. For instance, Richard describes a morbid scene. Despite Camilla appearing in a state of death, Richard expresses the moment as an alluring work of art, illuminating Camilla as angelic with the “curve of her throat beautiful and lifeless” (99). Beauty is associated with life. For example, the phrase “rosy cheeks,” an illustration of increased blood pumping through one’s body, is a predominant portrayal of beauty, emphasizing the direct bond that exists between life and beauty. Flushed cheeks signify youth and health, two pillars of beauty. Flush appearances can imply embarrassment, especially in situations of intimacy. Additionally, pink cheeks possess historical links to social class as wealthy Romans and Greeks used rouge to further highlight their pale skin, which was an indication that they did not need to work outside. However, in this instance, beauty is placed alongside “lifeless.” This creates a comparative effect, helping the reader to uncover the powerful and prominent dualistic relation the words possess. Specifically, the characters’ ultimate goal is “to live forever” (39), yet they desire death. As seen by the death of winter bringing the new life of spring, it is in death that they can find new and everlasting life. Thus, the existence of the duality of life itself is conveyed with juxtaposition to foreshadow the downfall that results in the attempt to elude dualistic principles, and, in turn, mortality. 

The connection between life and the lifeless is verified through the use of personification. Immediately after Camilla’s incident, Richard manipulates the reader’s initial negative interpretation of his panic and terror by highlighting that his “pulse sang” (99). Richard’s increase in pulse is a direct reaction to sudden and overwhelming feelings of horror, fear, and urgency. Thus, the idea of a raised pulse possesses a negative connotation. However, he assigns jubilant and peaceful characteristics to his pulse by explaining its singsong nature, contradicting the true origin of the response and reiterating the dualistic relation between beauty and terror. Also, his pulse, a heartbeat, cannot sing, so it is given human characteristics. This provides insight into the deeper meaning of the novel: the search for immortality. The characters desire to live forever and aim to expose forms of accomplishing such a feat. Personification by definition mirrors this idea by giving living qualities to a lifeless object or idea. Thus, Richard’s phrase parallels the overarching question of the novel: Can one overcome or escape one’s own humanity? The characters test this by living outside of reality, finding residence in the psyche whether through art form, ideas, or drug and alcohol use. In this specific case, the personification takes the existence of heartbeats and translates it into a song, which as an eternal art form, possesses the ability to carry one’s soul forever. Therefore, duality of life and the lifeless is supported by the use of personification.

Ultimately, the characters in The Secret History, despite their mindsets, are still subject to the limitations of humanity. Therefore, they are unsuccessful in trying to escape dualistic principles fundamental to life and experience demise as a consequence to their imbalanced lifestyles. I have interpreted Richard’s metaphoric language as his expression of his ultimate desire to capture life as an everlasting picture so that in death, he lives forever. However, in doing so, the reality that he ignores continues to act and impose human consequences. Additionally, I analyzed the purpose of juxtaposition to include communicating the true duality of life, which aided in my discovery that, surprisingly, in pain and terror, one finds beauty. Again, this supports the fundamental presence of duality in life itself. Continually, personification personally helped me to draw connections between life and death. I found that not only can we experience both simultaneously, but we can, in theory, defy mortal existence through art form and accomplishments. Furthermore, Richard’s contemplation of duality relates to humanity’s grappling of similar concepts over thousands of years. Different cultures and religions possess varying ways of conceptualizing duality and balance. For example, Christianity teaches that through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, death can bring about new life. Thus, in dying one finds eternal life in heaven. This is a dualistic idea as life and death are not only interconnected but become one in the same. Moreover, spanning thousands of years, Chinese culture has developed the idea of yin and yang, which addresses the dual nature of existence, both human and of the natural world. This philosophical relational concept expresses that the universe is governed by opposing and complementing principles present in all of existence. Yin represents the soft, feminine aspects of balance, while yang encompasses the rough, masculine aspects. Both elements are present within all that exist, including both the living and nonliving, such as nature and the seasons. In this way, Vivaldi’s Winter perfectly exemplifies the concept of yin and yang, showing duality of life and death, as well as beauty and terror, concepts which Richard explores in The Secret History.

Works Cited: A