22) Frankenstein by Mary Shelley You might already have an idea of what happens next, but The Creature birthed from Victor's scientific aberration isn't as monstrous as he looks. Beyond potentially marking the birth of dark academia, this novel will have you questioning your conceptions of morality and personhood.
Dark academia is defined by a darkness that overshadows the students creating a solemn tone and aesthetic. It is often a murder, overpowered professors, and difficult student life.
The Harry Potter film series is one of the most well-known portrayals of dark academia. The wonderful world of magic introduced children all over the globe to this dark, prestigious aesthetic as Harry Potter makes his way through Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Jane Eyre, a timeless classic by Charlotte Brontรซ, stands as one of the best dark academia romance books, weaving a tale of love amidst the shadows of an eerie setting.
Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro. Dark academia meets science fiction in Ishiguro's dystopian masterpiece about our purpose in life as individuals and members of society.
Accordingly, light academia is often considered to be the visually and emotionally lighter counterpart to dark academia. The term light academia was coined on Tumblr in 2019 and gained popularity during the early 2020s.
All in all, The Goldfinch satisfied my need for a long read with an absorbing plot. I recommend it if you like dark academia and don't mind characters who continually choose the worst possible option. Pair with The Maidens from Alex Michaelides or Long Bright River from Liz Moore.
Rodas argues that as the reader is granted privileged access to Jane's thoughts, her self-control is less obvious than her emotional turbulence, and posits that this is why Jane's autistic traits (in particular, her social awkwardness and reduced affect) have not often been analysed outside of feminist readings.
And while there are many โclassic literatureโ titles that could be called Dark Academia, The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde is considered the โbibleโ of Dark Academia. Originally published in 1891, it's a creepy gothic novel about a young man who sells his soul for youth and beauty.
in the 2009 Sherlock Holmes. In this film, Holmes investigates a string of murderers in London using his quick wit and outlandish problem-solving. Any film focusing on Holmes is a great introduction to the dark academic genre, focusing on murder, knowledge, and based on a series of classic novels.
In the mid-20th century, books like The Prime Of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark, Good Times/Bad Times by James Kirkwood Jr., and The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, all set at least partly at school, brought the genre to a darker place.
According to Google's Year in Search, an annual retrospective of trending searches compiled by the tech company, dark academia was among ten trending interior styles from 2022, a representative confirmed.
This book has a wonderful gloomy gothic dark academia witchy creepy village in the woods in the 50ies vibe but with modern and an interesting magic(k) system I haven't seen before. I disliked the many POVs, 2-3 would have definitely been enough already.
During this period of enhanced recognition of what is now termed Huntington disease, Charlotte Brontรซ wrote Jane Eyre, which was published in 1847 and featured the enigmatic โwoman in the attic,โ Bertha Antoinetta Mason. Mason suffered from a progressive and familial psychiatric illness with violent movements.
In Jane Eyre, the pivotal character of Helen Burns succumbs to tuberculosis. Helen's death from tuberculosis exemplifies the societal conception of tuberculosis prior to Koch's discovery, which places the disease in the realm of the spiritual rather than the temporal.
In her novel, Brontั traces Jane's development of a submissive nature and subtly indicates her subsequent decision to use her skills to attract and maintain affection from dominant Rochester.
Why do you think some people really like dark academia? It's very interesting. The Dark Academic fashion style is filled with nostalgic vibes. That is because the Dark Academia subculture aims to recreate the vibes of the 19th century of private English boarding schools and Ivy League colleges in New England.
The appeal of dark academia lies โ in part โ in the vulnerability of its characters. Often, they overcome this vulnerability by becoming part of a close-knit friendship group of fellow students. The genre helps students to realise how important relationships are.
So is 'The Song of Achilles' dark academia? Not at all, but the ties to the origins of the genre are undeniable. If you love dark academia as much as we do then please consider subscribing to our podcast and signing up for our mailer where we have a little book club and host regular giveaways!
Norrell also qualifies as a dark academia book, Clarke's most recent work Piranesi has all the formative building blocks: an intellectual pushing scientific and ethical bounds, revenge, and a strange mystery with as many twists as there are rooms in the narrator's seemingly-infinite museum-like world.
