Nadira Lea

Francis Abernathy, a character shrouded in mystery, appears in detail for the first time towards the end of the first chapter when Richard spots him walking through a meadow. Enamored by the student’s aesthetic, he takes notice when he sees Francis, and fearing that he will be seen by the boy, he attempts to hide himself. The way that Richard recounts his point of view of the scenario gives the reader more of an insight into his perception of the world. Through his intricate, intentional word choice in his narration of the encounter, Richard carefully begins to surface his slowly unfurling obsession with Francis and the others, unveiling his true mindset and desire for the extraordinary.

The way that Richard describes Francis gives the reader a better idea of the aspects of Francis that Richard is focused on. To Richard, Francis is a dark, almost non-human mystery. He uses words like “stalking”, as opposed to “walking” or “striding” to describe Francis’s movement (Tartt 34). The word has a mysterious connotation that adds to the notion that he is still this alluring enigma to Richard. At this point, he is not exactly sure what the deal with Francis and the others is, but that only heightens his curiosity more. Additionally, his interest in something as basic as his walking style as opposed to, say, the price of the designer coat that Francis is wearing separates his way of thinking from someone like Bunny who would likely focus on those materialistic things. Richard also uses animal comparisons “like a black bird” and “flapping like and crowlike” when referring to Francis to suggest that he views him as almost beyond human (34). He has sensationalized Francis so much in his imagination that he envisions Francis as some sort of mystical creature, which he directly states later in the book. Even his black coat flaps behind him in the wind, like he is being obscured in a literal cloak of mystery and captivation. This, in contrast to the way he describes his hometown as mundane and bland, gives the reader some insight as to why Richard would be fascinated by Francis’ outlandish charm. He has been in such a dull place for so long that it is only natural that he would be taken by something so different and unfamiliar.

The way that Richard goes on to describe how he wants to hide from Francis also reveals more about the character’s subliminal thoughts about him. He mentions that he is spooked by the “thought that he might see” him; the fact that the mere thought of being spotted by Francis affects him so much hints at Richard’s growing fixation on him (34). Without realizing it, Richard is letting the mere existence of the other impact the way he is acting, thinking, and living. He goes as far as to duck into the doorway to stay out of sight; he feels panicked at the moment and wants to quickly hide himself to avoid any unexpected contact with Francis. We later discover that his scrambles for cover were futile and less than discrete, but the description helps the reader understand Richard’s thought process at this point in the book. This is further explained by Richard’s “inexplicable anxiety” when thinking about being seen (34). Specifically, the notion that Richard finds his emotion to be “inexplicable” is interesting. On one hand, this is untrue because his anxiety roots from Francis’ presence, a source that he explains himself. On the other hand, it may be reasonable to describe his anxiety as inexplicable because at this point in the story, Richard himself does not really realize how obsessed he is with Francis and the others. He is confused as to why these people who he has not even talked to before have such an intense effect on him, a feeling that stays with him for a while, even after he befriends them.

Works Cited: A

Seth Shoneman

To lose complete control of oneself for an instant, to forget the mortality of the human condition and let animalistic impulse take over, then to return to composure with intense relief: this is what, in part, Donna Tartt’s The Secret History explores. This exploration begins with the novel’s professor, Julian, lecturing his pupils about the benefits of such a temporary loss of control referred to as Dionysiac ritual, or a bacchanal. The above excerpt, taken from the end of his lecture, is an expression of Julian’s agreement with Dionysiac practice, and his deliberate attempt to convince his students of its merit. He not only finds the subject intellectually stimulating, but valuable in practice, and his discussion of it directly leads to his students’ later attempt at replication. 

“Dionysus was the Greek god of fertility. Later, he came to be known chiefly as the god of wine and pleasure. The Romans called him Bacchus. … 

Excessive drinking and debauchery generally accompanied the cult of 

Dionysus, giving rise to the word ‘bacchanalia’ for a party featuring drunken revelry”(Rijks Museum). 

Fig. 1. Bust of Dionysus. 1770. Greek Art Shop. https://tinyurl.com/2zh528rd.

Julian thinks of Dionysiac ritual as a unique, immensely beautiful experience. He believes it to provide a religious euphoria, one that comes from allowing God to “consume,” “devour,” and “unstring” the practitioner. With this brutal image, he claims the ritual to be a way of “rip[ing] away the veil” to experience a feeling of “terrible beauty.” Julian has earlier claimed that “beauty is terror,” and so, by his own logic, the “terrible seduction” of the ritual is a beautiful draw (Tartt 39). The “terrible beauty” to be found is one above all others, and is thus, for Julian, a convincing argument to practice Dionysiac ritual. 

Julian’s motivation in lecturing about the bacchanal, and expressing his personal thoughts thereof, is to convince his students to agree. The group he teaches is chosen for having what he sees as “classical” as opposed to “modern” minds, a distinction made by the narrator in their earlier conversation (Tartt 29). He believes them and himself to be especially intelligent and composed, and for the loss of that composure to be particularly “hard for [them]” to imagine. He believes, for the “classical” rather than the “modern,” that the ritual has incredible positive effects. Thus, his strategy of persuasion is to appeal to their sense of personal strength “in [their] souls” and communicate the idea that such a ritual can only be performed by those who are worthy. This entices his students to consider the ritual as a method of proving themselves worthy, a desire which is strengthened by a presentation of the rewarding aspects within, namely the ability to experience “that fire of pure being” and be “reborn.” Julian believes his students are the most susceptible audience to agreeing with him and yearns to convince them of his views on Dionysiac ritual because he believes that they will benefit from it profusely. 

This fresco from Pompeii, Italy is a depiction of a young girl practicing a bacchanal as a rite of passage into Womanhood (Odorisio).

Julian’s persuasion is ultimately successful in making a deep and lasting connection with his students. After listening to his ideas, they are in complete awe, “leaning forward, motionless.” They take his message to heart and even, drawn by the “very great” appeal to “stop being [themselves],” “decide to try to have a bacchanal” (Tartt 163-4). The ancient ritual is brought into the present and attempted as a direct result of his teachings. 

The proper inspection of Julian’s lesson on terrible beauty and the bacchanal is integral to understanding his students’ later motivation to attempt it. This lesson sets up a major plot point of the novel and directly leads to a turning point in the lives of Julian’s students when they do see the consequences of Dionysiac practice. By understanding their motivation, the reader is also less likely to simply dismiss the students’ actions as nonsensical. This deeper reading can elevate what I find to be the most impressive quality of Tartt’s novel: the line of logic created from innocence to guilt, and how, with a close eye, even the most heinous of acts, like murder, become understandable.

Works Cited: A, 1, 2, 3

Vallerie Tran

Can you ever outrun your past completely? Or has it already ingrained itself intrinsically into who you are? The Secret History by Donna Tartt is known as the first work of literature to explicitly embody the dark academia aesthetic: a subculture obsessed with the pursuit of higher education, the classics, and a gruesome fascination of beauty. In Chapter 1, Richard provides insightful details into the dull realities of his previous life and his disdain for his past which is starkly contrasted with the glamorized Hollywood version he skillfully fabricates for his classmates and mentor at Hampden College. The olfactory imagery, repetition, and graphic descriptions of death establish Richard Papen’s disillusionment with his childhood home and juxtapose the embellished lies he invents as his reality with the unremarkable truth. His insecurity about his humble beginnings is the driving force behind his actions at Hampden and become a way for others to manipulate him for their own means.

A notable moment in the passage is when Richard reveals his sentiments plainly about his hometown Plano, California: showing the disparity between his seemingly indifferent attitude towards his old life and the deep-seated resentment he actually feels. In the beginning, Richard invokes the word “miasma” meaning “noxious vapor” to describe the smell of rotting fruit which he attributes to his childhood hometown Plano, California (Oxford English Dictionary). The olfactory imagery of rot brings forth unpleasant thoughts of decay, but the description of  “the smell of rot that ripe fruit makes” specifically calls forth smells that are sickly sweet and nauseating (Tartt, 10). Ripe fruits are generally a symbol of vitality and health, but this grotesque description of rotting fruit signifies that Richard believes his hometown can suffocate even the most lively things. There is a part of him that believes no matter how far away he runs, the miasma of this town will continue to cling onto him. This fear led to his fantastical descriptions of his past consisting of “orange groves, failed movie stars, lamplit cocktail hours by the swimming pool, cigarettes, ennui” for his peers and mentors at Hampden College (Tartt, 28). These lies serve to not only create an illusion for his classmates but to alleviate his insecurities and feed his obsession with “a colorful past” (Tartt, 7). In order to compensate for his perceived shortcomings, he instead fabricates an imaginary world where his beginnings are interesting and mirrors aspects of his classmates’ upbringings to relate to them. 

 A reason behind his insecurities can be seen through his description of his perspective on the quality of life in Plano.  The jarring diction of “hideous mechanics of birth and copulation and death,” normally attributed to machinery, reduces his life to a cruel cycle of life and death without purpose (Tartt, 10). The stylistic choice to use “and” between life, copulation, and death slows down the phrase, mimicking his life being leached away slowly until his sense of self withers away. Part of Richard’s fascination with the Greek class was because of the exclusivity and mystery due to the small elite group of students that were handpicked by Julian himself. Richard desperately wants to be a part of this group in order to be special, which is the opposite of what he felt in Plano. It is clearly established in the first paragraph of the first chapter that Richard has “a morbid longing for the picturesque at all costs” (Tartt, 7). Richard tries to escape this feeling of being ordinary by moving to Hampden, on the opposite side of the country, but his constant need to be validated by those who he deems interesting causes him to fall prey to the schemings of his classmates and his enigmatic professor in fatal ways.

Through the narrator’s detailed descriptions of his hometown, readers understand Richard’s perspective on his upbringing and how these perceived shortcomings drive him to invent false fantasies of the Golden West for his wealthy classmates. By looking at his past, Richard’s actions can be understood as a way to outrun his past and create a life that he deems “picturesque”. But what he doesn’t realize until it is much too late, is that by overcompensating for his past, he is letting his insecurities control his mentality and actions as well. His fatal flaw of romanticizing people and places allows for his classmates and professor to take advantage of him at the expense of his integrity until his moral compass no longer guides him in the right direction. By living in a false reality, Richard is unable to discern fact from fiction to the extent that he ignores the faults of people he idolizes and always puts them in the best light. Richard allows himself to be manipulated by those who do not have his best interest at heart but instead use him to achieve their own means.

Works Cited: A