TJ Fernanders
Grown children (an oxymoron, I realize) veer instinctively to extremes; the young scholar is much more pedant than his older counterpart. And I, being young myself, took these pronouncements of Henry’s very seriously. I doubt if Milton himself could have impressed me more.
I suppose there is a certain crucial interval in everyone’s life when character is fixed forever; for me, it was that first fall term I spent at Hampden. So many things remain with me from that time, even now: those preferences in clothes and books and even food – acquired then, and largely, I must admit, in adolescent emulation of the rest of the Greek class – have stayed with me through the years. It is easy, even now, for me to remember what their daily routines, which subsequently became my own, were like. Regardless of circumstance they lived like clockwork, with surprisingly little of that chaos which to me had always seemed so inherent a part of college life – irregular diet and work habits, trips to the Laundromat at one a. m. There were certain times of the day or night, even when the world was falling in, when you could always find Henry in the all-night study room of the library, or when you knew it would be useless to even look for Bunny, because he was on his Wednesday date with Marion or his Sunday walk. (Rather in the way that the Roman I Empire continued in a certain fashion to run itself even when there was no one left to run it and the reason behind it was entirely gone, much of this routine remained intact even during the terrible days after Bunny’s death. Up until the very end there was always, always, Sundaynight dinner at Charles and Camilla’s, except on the evening of the murder itself, when no one felt much like eating and it was postponed until Monday.)
Richard has been in staunch admiration of the Greek students, ever since he transferred to Hampton. This admiration does not come from any particular interest in their studies, but rather their portrayal as peculiar intellectuals that Richard wishes to replicate. This passage exemplifies Richard’s staunch obsession with the Greek students, in turn emphasizing the characteristics of solitude and aesthetics in dark academia.
This passage serves as an exemplar of Richard’s obsession towards the group and their lifestyles. In the passage, Richard details the manner through which the Greek students occupy their day and how diametrically opposed it is to his. Where chaos was inherent in his time at Hampton, with irregularities in both diet and time management, the Greek students “lived like clockwork” (Tartt 80). Richard goes as far as to state that even if the world was falling in, they would still be adhering to their routines. This statement isn’t a complete exaggeration either, as later it is stated that even after Bunny’s death they continued to preserve their schedule. In previous passages where Richard describes the group, the description regarding their routines was not as glorified nor as detailed. This passage, more than others, goes to lengths to show the depths of Richard’s infatuation with the Greek students and their aesthetic, through his detailed and glorified observation of their daily routines.
Richard’s in-depth description of their daily activities serves to highlight not only his admiration of them, but also the Greek students’ influence on him. In a passage prior to this, where Richard found Henry early in the morning, Richard’s admiration of Henry is evident. Because of this admiration towards Henry, the others, and their aesthetic lifestyle, Richard attempts to adopt an image that is similar to theirs. There are several word choices used in the passage that highlight this. He speaks about the first fall term at Hampton being a “crucial interval” in his life and in “adolescent emulation” adopted many preferences from the Greek course (Tartt 80). All of them portray an aesthetic that Richard is attracted to, so he tries to emulate them and their mannerisms. As such he adopted their routines and fashion, from wearing dress shirts and ties to working on subjects with a Henry-esque dedication. Of course, this also means that Richard mirrors some of their traits of isolation as well.
Throughout his interactions, Richard shows minimal interest in the students and departments outside of the Greek class, a similar characteristic with the rest of the Greek students. In fact, most of the interactions that are described between the Greek class and other students are negative or volatile. This passage puts an emphasis on the aesthetics of solitude in dark academia. Richard’s initial interest in the Greek class stemmed from this romanticization of isolation and their sophistication, rather than any particular interest in Greek. In contrast, the Greek class’s isolation is a result of their pedanticism. They work rigorously when it concerns Ancient Greece, Rome, and other similar topics. However, they display no interest in other subjects or modern events, so much so that in the following paragraph Henry is ignorant of the moon landing. This is an aesthetic inherent to dark academia—to be isolated with a focus solely on your studies, while maintaining a livelihood reminiscent of ancient scholars. And, aspiring to experience his idyllic life, Richard attempts desperately to imitate the dark academia aesthetics of the Greek class. Not only is the idealization of such aesthetics detrimental, but the pursuit of them as well. Richard’s blind veneration and pursuit of these attributes exposes the depravities that occur when someone is revered based on a fabricated perception and aesthetics.