Book Recommendations: Dark Academia
“We were always surrounded by books and words and poetry, all the fierce passions of the world bound in leather and vellum.” M.L. Rio
If you’re yearning for the collegiate atmosphere, then look no further – the debut novels of Donna Tartt (bestselling author of the recently adapted Goldfinch) and M.L. Rio provide indulgent substitutes, coupling sordid tales with intellectual seduction.
These masterpieces of the campus novel's illicit sub-genre - the aptly named 'dark academia' - blend complex crime-oriented plots and Gothic elements in gorgeous university settings. One can expect sumptuous, cinematic world-building; intertextuality to the highest degree; moral grey areas, and issues like sexuality, elitism and mental illness discussed with great sensitivity.
The Secret History (1992) centres on Richard Papen, whose imposter syndrome magnifies when he enters an exclusive class of like-minded eccentrics at the illustrious Hampden College. His fellow classicists are infatuated with the ancient world and hell-bent on replicating aspects of antiquity which stand at odds with the ethical codes of their modern surroundings. The tantalising murder mystery in reverse structure itself pays homage to Greek tragedy and grips the reader up until the very last sentence. As a cautionary tale against mob mentality, the decadent misfits are thrust into a dangerous predicament which neither their talent nor loyalty to one another can resolve. The aftermath of their project of experiencing an authentic Bacchanal ritual is the chaotic collective unravelling which reveals just how enigmatic and unknowable a person can be. This is a book I recommend to anyone who is on the market for escapism, due in part to its indulgent aesthetics steeped in mythology and figures who evoke love and disgust in equal measure far beyond the final page.
In a similar vein, M.L. Rio’s If We Were Villains (2017) deals with themes of culpability and an unhealthy obsession with art that borders on the occult. We are introduced to a cast of pretentious thespians at the ultra-selective Dellecher Conservatory, through the perspective of convict Oliver Marks. From the outset we are determined to follow the story of how he came to spend a decade in prison for a crime he did not necessarily commit during his time as a Shakespearean student/actor. For four years, he and his melodramatic friends have been type-cast in annual productions where he undertakes unassuming supporting roles. Yet when the dynamics are flipped in the theatre, violent rivalries abound, culminating in a tragic death. Uncanny parallels between script and reality prove catastrophic, with the combination of the Bard’s iconic imagery and the five-act construction making this the ultimate noir treat for a bibliophile.
The bottom line is that these novels investigate how the conscience operates when under the powerful influence of great archaic ideas, using their own alluring verbal magic to highlight one’s own suggestibility. Relatable (and unforgettable) weirdos are set upon journeys which exemplify the slippery slope of curiosity taken too far. The settings can hopefully satisfy any nostalgia for Durham, alongside a healthy dose of existentialism, questioning prestigious institutions’ function, and the ethics of a relentless pursuit of knowledge.