With an opening line that rivals Albert Camus’s The Stranger (1942) and Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina (1877), Donna Tartt’s debut novel The Secret History (1992) wastes no time in announcing its fatal tragedy, dragging readers into a spiraling narrative madness.

The snow in the mountains was melting and Bunny had been dead for several weeks before we came to understand the gravity of our situation.

The Secret History, Donna Tartt

Published in 1992, The Secret History quickly became a cult phenomenon, a haunting page-turner that helped pioneer an entirely new literary and aesthetic movement: Dark Academia. Readers are captivated by its eerie atmosphere, a blend of liberal arts and Greek classics cult, where the story unfolds. And its spell is yet to be broken. Many have tried to follow in Donna Tartt’s footsteps. Among them are Mona Awad with Bunny (2019), Olivie Blake with The Atlas Six (2020), and R.F. Kuang with Babel (2022): each delving into themes of intellectualism, obsession, and mystery. Though some have indeed found success, Tartt’s voice remains distinctive and unmatched.

She typically publishes once a decade, but since Pulitzer Prize-winning The Goldfinch (2013), Tartt has remained silent, leaving readers in a state of thrilling anticipation for her next masterpiece.

• How to Get Away with Murder
• Beauty is Terror
• Friendship and Identity in The Secret History
• The Cult of Academia: An Aesthetic Illusion
• Inspiration and Impact

How to Get Away with Murder

You already know they killed their friend by page one, yet the story of Richard Papen and his eccentric clique of Greek classics enthusiasts will keep you hooked until the very end. Richard tells his story in retrospect, beginning with the aftermath of Bunny’s death and slowly unravelling the events that led up to it. The backward storytelling is the novel’s signature stylistic device, building suspense and increasing the reader’s desire to understand the story in its entirety.

Set in the 1980s, The Secret History follows Richard Papen, an ambitious young man from Plano, California, who aspires to escape his working-class background. He transfers to the elite Hampden College in Vermont to study literature. After a few setbacks, he manages to join an exclusive group of students who study Ancient Greek under Professor Julian Morrow. Together with Francis, Henry, the twins Charles and Camilla, and Edmund “Bunny” Corcoran, Richard joins a secretive, cult-like circle whose fascination with the ancient world soon becomes dangerous and obsessive.

Beauty is Terror

Professor Morrow, an enigmatic and charismatic aesthete, convinces his students that modern society is in decline and that true beauty lies in the ideals of the ancient world. During their intimate, esoteric lessons, he promotes a worldview rooted in classicism, elitism, and transcendence. Their obsession with cultivating a cult of beauty drives the young students to the fatal sin of hubris.

They indulge in a game both seductive and dangerous, which will seal their downfall: the Dionysian Bacchanal, an abundant feast of intoxication, promiscuity, and ultimately, murder. Having crossed the line of morality in their search for ecstasy, the delicate balance within the friend group shatters, tinged with dark secrets and blood.

It’s a very Greek idea, and a very profound one. Beauty is terror. Whatever we call beautiful, we quiver before it. And what could be more terrifying and beautiful, to souls like the Greeks or our own, than to lose control completely? To throw off the chains of being for an instant, to shatter the accident of our mortal selves?

The Secret History, Donna Tartt

What happens when beauty justifies everything and morality becomes optional? In The Secret History, Donna Tartt crafts a chilling cautionary tale about the illusion of a world where the gap between ideals and reality grows dangerously thin.

Friendship and Identity in The Secret History

The Secret History is as much a coming-of-age story as it is a psychological thriller, exploring how privilege and class shape identity. The characters bond over intellectual exclusivity and shared secrets, yet they never truly know each other’s authentic selves. Richard’s unreliable narration certainly influences readers, as it adds layers of ambiguity in the group’s dynamics. The roles and motivations of the other characters remain unclear, constantly compelling the readers to reconsider and question what they think they know.

Moreover, class in the novel is not merely a backdrop; it is a powerful force that shapes every interaction, even within the relationships among the characters. Wealth and privilege define the social hierarchies at the elite liberal arts college, creating a clear imbalance in status. Therefore, Richard, a scholarship student from a modest background, finds himself on the outside looking in. He romanticizes his wealthier peers and their lifestyle, longing to be part of their refined, exclusive world, even though they never fully accept him. From the outset, the group’s bond is not built on trust or equality, but rather on need, manipulation, and a shared aesthetic—fragile foundations that inevitably buckle under pressure.

The Cult of Academia: An Aesthetic Illusion

Although set in the late 20th century, readers are fully immersed in an atmosphere reminiscent of the 19th century, with dusty libraries, candlelit rooms, and Gothic architecture. The weight of classical knowledge hangs heavily, to the point that Greek mythology seems to take hold of the entire story. With her elegant and evocative prose, Donna Tartt established the blueprint for the Dark Academia genre, infusing it with deceptive beauty and the allure of the occult.

Although the campus novel and Dark Academia genres are often seen as celebrations of the exclusivity of higher education, particularly within the liberal arts, The Secret History serves as a sharp satire of classist academia and the pretentiousness of its scholars. With a touch of dark humor, it reveals just how far the characters are willing to go in pursuit of their ideals: drug and alcohol abuse, promiscuous relationships, violence, and moral decay.

Inspiration and Impact

The complexity of the novel seeps through the inspirations behind her 8-year writing process, ranging from Bacchae by the Ancient Greek playwright Euripides to Stevenson’s Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde; the author managed to create a true modern tragedy. Thirty years later, readers still return to The Secret History. But what is it about Donna Tartt’s novel that continues to leave such a profound impact on literature and culture?

Beyond becoming an instant bestseller, The Secret History sparked a cultural phenomenon. Much to Tartt’s surprise, her debut novel resonated far beyond its initial audience, prompting a resurgence of classical studies. It helped shape an entire online subculture rooted in classical literature, vintage fashion, and philosophical introspection. This aesthetic first gained momentum on Tumblr in 2015 and then exploded in 2020, amid the pandemic, on platforms like Instagram and TikTok. Needless to say, Pinterest boards inspired by Dark Academia have become a staple of the online community.

Enthusiasts of the genre quickly become familiar with other forms of media that recreate a similar vibe. The iconic films Dead Poets Society (1989) and Kill Your Darlings (2013) have certainly contributed to deepening the cultural impact of Dark Academia.

Finally, The Secret History is an everlasting work, not just an entertaining novel that sweeps readers into its gripping narrative, but a profound reflection on the illusions of youth’s power. Beneath its dark allure, it casts light on the shadows of the human world, securing its place as a timeless classic.