Episode 1.2: ‘The Secret History’ by Donna Tartt episode artwork

EPISODE · Feb 8, 2022 · 1H 15M

Episode 1.2: ‘The Secret History’ by Donna Tartt

from The Dark Academicals · host Sophie & Sarah

Donna Tartt’s ‘The Secret History’ is synonymous with the term ‘Dark Academia’. It was the beginning. And if you did not realise that before reading the book, you could be forgiven for thinking that the author had just taken the Dark Academia checklist and inserted it all into one narrative. But what makes ‘The Secret History’ a Dark Academia title? We discuss.

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Feb 8, 2022

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Donna Tartt’s ‘The Secret History’ is synonymous with the term ‘Dark Academia’. It was the beginning. And if you did not realise that before reading the book, you could be forgiven for thinking that the author had just taken the Dark Academia checklist and inserted it all into one narrative. But Donna Tartt created the list. It is a handbook for anyone wanting to understand Dark Academia as a genre as well as an aesthetic. In this episode we spoke about: What makes ‘The Secret History’ a Dark Academia title? - and since it originated the genre, we point out all of the things we will ask other books on the podcast to compare themselves to. Representation of women and LBGTQ+ people within the narrative among other criticisms of the book The title - original title, historical implications (Procopius, Nietzsche, the Bacchanal, Ancient Greek philosophy), contemporary interpretations Close character analysis of Richard and Bunny (plus some discussion of the wider cast; Julian, Henry, Camilla, Charles and Francis) Get settled in with a cuppa and give it a listen.

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Episode 1.2: ‘The Secret History’ by Donna Tartt

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