As the last few days of autumn slip away, entering the long winter season may seem like a daunting task. But for readers, this time of the year creates a perfect atmosphere for reading dark academia literature.
Dark academia is a literary subgenre accompanied by a rich moody aesthetic. Often defined by stormy weather and gripping plot twists, these books are rooted in the tension between beauty and morbidity, following the dark journeys of characters through their own human experience. But each dark academia novel adds a new element to the story, some with intricate magic systems and others with intellectual enigma. This winter, you can explore dark academic literature by balancing a book in one hand and a cup of hot coffee in the other.
Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte (1947) is the first book that comes to mind when considering dark academia literature. In the wild moors of Yorkshire, two houses tower over the desolate landscape, gripped by storms of both weather and heart. These ancestral homes seem to be the only things left standing after an obsessive entanglement between two families. Years later, the new tenet of Thrushcross Grange, Lockwood, cannot keep his curiosity at bay regarding his neighbor, Heathcliff. He begins digging into the mysteries of the past, mysteries that should remain dead. As he investigates, unearthing a deceased woman’s diaries, he realizes with horror that Heathcliff's history is much darker than Lockwood could have imagined. Perhaps, he asks himself, this tragic love story hides more sinister truths.
The Maidens by Alex Michaelides (2021) tells the story of a beguiling Greek Tragedy professor employed by Cambridge University, venerated by the besotted secret society of female students who call themselves The Maidens. The story follows a former student, resolved on proving Edward Fosca's undeniable guilt in the murder of a close friend. As Mariana investigates, she becomes more acutely aware that Fosca’s obsession with Persephone’s journey to the underworld may have more to do with his malicious intent than it does academic interest. When another body is unearthed, Mariana finds herself obsessed with the dark secrets of Cambridge University, forcing her to make decisions which threaten her credibility and her friendships. She knows that she may very well die in an attempt to implicate Professor Fosca in the unusual deaths. Still, Mariana searches.
In The Secret History by Donna Tartt (1992), a group of elite students studying classics in New England, discovers an insidious philosophy, that, when practiced, leads to the murder of their own member. Under the allure of a professor, these students lose all sense of self as they stumble down a dangerous path... one that inevitably leads to wickedness.
Take a look at some of these dark academia novels:
- A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid
- Black Chalk by Christopher Yates
- Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo
- Babel by R. F. Kuang
- Katabasis by R.F. Kuang
- The Lies We Tell by Katie Zhao
- Legendborn by Tracy Deonn
- A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness
