P A P E R B A C K R E V E R I E S
THE SECRET HISTORY | DONNA TARTT
06 Feb 2022
Does such a thing as the ‘fatal flaw,’ that showy dark crack running down the middle of a life, exist outside literature? I used to think it didn’t. Now I think it does. And I think that mine is this: a morbid longing for the picturesque at all costs.
The picturesque, the beautiful, the aesthetic – the overarching theme of The Secret History, described by the New York Times as “Dark Academia’s essential text”. Published in 1992 Donna Tartt’s novel is highly praised by the subculture’s enthusiasts and I can see why. The novel epitomises the romanticised and nostalgic exploration of student life, dark corridors, beautiful libraries, intellectualism and sometimes an overt pseudo-intellectualism, although dangerously, perhaps, at times a perpetuation of the idealism of Western study/Classical literature as the epitome of academia.
The novel is set in the eighties and narrated by Richard Papen, a former student at an elite liberal arts college in New England, Vermont. The novel recounts the story of what could be described as a murder mystery which is carefully crafted alongside a simple bildungsroman. It explores the lasting effects of the murder of Bunny, a fellow student of the cult-like, elite group of Classics students Richard so desperately wants to befriend and belong to. To be honest, this was a very slow read at first, and I wanted to give up halfway through, but at this juncture, I realised the point was to be completely immersed in Richard’s world, an environment that explores the pursuit of all humanity’s "fatal" flaws - lust, luxury, vanity, narcissism, amongst other things because for most of the novel Tartt showcases the joys and then slowly but surely the consequences of complete hedonism; as simple as the lifestyle presents itself through the identity of a student, ‘studies’ alongside, the brief happiness of, drinking, partying, smoking, narcotics…all to reveal what happens when it all reaches an extreme – murder/death, deception, meaninglessness…?
I don’t think Tartt writes these themes into the novel as a critique against 'hedonism' per se, but as an observation of its realities, and perhaps, to an extent even commends these characters for all their human "failures". Richard, we get to know very well, and as much as it can be described as a novel about murder, The Secret History is also somewhat of a memoir as he recounts his student life eight years on. Tartt’s novel is relatable for those who have ever had the experience of the institution of university, and its many ups and downs and lessons – both in and out of those lecture theatres and library walls. This novel could be described as primarily about character, an analysis of a young, naïve, early twenty-something, trying to fit in, although it is clear from the outset that his chosen group of friends are entirely unlikeable, their charm and prestige allure Richard into reinvention, and immersion into a new world, freed from the banality of his adolescence, but also leads him to delusion. I do think, however, Tartt could have taken more time to flesh out one of the only female characters in the novel – Camilla, who gets a little lost in the almost all-male cast of her peers. Be that as it may, Charles, Camilla, Frances, Henry, Bunny, Classic Greek myths, and philosophy show Richard a new way of life, and thus ‘his morbid longing for the picturesque at all costs' is almost satisfied but, is one, which costs the dissolution of meaning. And as much as Tartt romanticises the idea of complete hedonism, alongside the desires of understanding, discovering, and recreating oneself as well as learning who you do this with, she explores the idea that life without any responsibility and consequence is one which only leads to destruction.
Tartt’s novel is rightfully described by many as a modern classic, like the Greek myths she frequently references and is inspired by, she offers a philosophy that could be interpreted in varying ways, but unquestionably she writes one of the most immersive, entertaining, gory, and thought-provoking reads I have come across in a while.
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Rating: 7/10.