Secret history is one of my favourite books cause it calls out aestheticism and the obsession with beauty and being perfect. Edit amazing video as always
Finally I find someone who thoroughly criticizes The Secret History. In too many cases, I find people romanticizing this book and making it seem like a "holy grail" of sorts for the Dark Academia aesthetic. On my second read of the book, I found so many instances where I felt almost disgusted or perturbed with the actions and thoughts of the characters. In no way did I think of the actions or internal dialogues as something to find romance in. But anyways, I found myself returning to the book and thinking about it time and time again. And like you said, I found myself "seduced" by it. But in no way did I see myself in any of the characters. Even now, I still find myself being reminded of certain phrases that I have underlined in the book. For instance, when Richard recalls the discussion of murdering Bunny and how they are to do it, Charlie says "But how, how can you possibly justify cold-blooded murder?" and to this, Henry simply and detachedly responds with, "I prefer to think of it, as redistribution of matter." To me, this dialogue sticks in the back of my mind at how numbly Henry became to murdering one of the people he has come to know. He has known Bunny for a while, and he fully understands the impact it will have on everyone if they kill him, and Henry still sticks with the plan. No matter what. And to me, this is what is so heartbreakinly morbid. Henry, and everyone else, becomes so detached to the situation that eventually they all become numb to the fact that they murdered someone they knew. They murdered someone, and still they continue on. Sorry for such a long comment!! I just loved your video and your thorough criticism of the work... :) Keep it up! Can't wait for the next video you publish :)
no omg don't be sorry for commenting, let alone with a response so in-depth about your own thoughts! and yes to all the points about their detachment to the act, especially henry being fully cognizant of how everyone else will react to having murdered bunny. he gets to go out in the end by his own choice and making, while the rest are left to further spiral and disintegrate. but anyway. thanks so much for the comment, i seriously appreciate it 🤍
It makes sense that the characters perpetuating the murders are the rich kids of the cast. It shows them being out of touch with the regular folk like the farmer and bunny (he wasn't poor but definitely not on the level of the others in terms of money)
Love your analysis. Just finished listening to the audiobook and I definitely got less “academia” and much more psychological thriller and satire from The Secret History
Beautifully articulated critique. I especially enjoyed how you concluded with the Latin origins of the words ‘cult’ and ‘culture’. Cult: civilisation, order, worship Culture: Agriculture, cultivation, care
had to sneak in a little latin love in the end !! thank you so much for taking the time to watch and to leave such a succinct and thoughtfully personal comment 🤍
It would have come about anyway imo due to the romanticization of university, wealth, rich kids, the like. There are movies and books that came before this one that fit the aesthetic. The love for it also, to me, seems to come from the same kind of love people have for antique and victorian aesthetics and architecture.
*“The secret history is an inside joke made into narrative and dark academia is it’s punchline”* - girl! You summarize the mess in my brain so well. I just got into dark academia and find it interesting that most of the things that are considered Foundation of the aesthetic are the things that activity criticize the whole concept of dark academia itself. For example Dreamers, A movie which is considered to be the classic dark academia with its scenes constantly coming up on Pinterest as inspirational. The movie literally criticized elitist, pretentious 20 year olds who romanticize their life so much that they completely lose touch with the outside world.
great vid, honestly! i love your way to express yourself and your thoughts. as for myself (an 18yo student who will only ever study the classics from an amateur pov, not wanting to pursue it academically), i realized why i loved TSH so much after my second read. in the endm i realized that it was mostly because i deeply related to a fond principle in TSH’s narrative: obsession. i could ramble on and on for decades on end, but TSH perfectly demonstrated just how much a person (or people, in general) can become obsessed with an idea, or an aesthetic, to the point where they cannot step away and acknowledge if what they are pursuing is morally unacceptable. I found that I deeply relate to that concept, and I especially saw it in Henry (him and I are INTJs and idk if that matters). I remember when Henry was confessing to Richard what they did (the Bacchanal) and how he said “I was obsessed with the idea”… and i just find that those six words tell so mich. anyways, great vid:))
This was SUCH a brilliant critique. I just finished TSH and loved it. I watched so many videos and read many reviews of it and yours is by far the best and probably the most realistic reading of the book I've seen so far. thank you for sharing your thoughts and taking time to record and post this video ❤
I will say dark academia for me (Romanian, broke, a lot of stuff happened in the world, we're next to a huge conflict rn, geographically the closest to it). But thing about it is... I don't see it, personally... As an attitude to have, a behaviour to portray, but more like... Just that, an aesthetic. Humans like beautiful things. For me, personally, because the Romanian education system is different than the American one (both for the better and the worse, but thing is here if it's a state owned university - and the oldest ones sorta are - then if you have good GOOD grades, you will not pay one dime to study there, not one, at all). I went to university, one of the oldest here, and I had good grades so I didn't pay anything at all. But I don't consider myself better in any way than someone who didn't have the chance to do it, for whatever reason. I didn't like uni life much, I had personal struggles that kinda stopped me from enjoying it, so I am making up for it through dark academia. I don't act entitled, that's not who I am, and I won't try to "lecture" people on the merits of the classics. But I enjoy dressing a certain way, and having my living space look a certain way. I am broke, so mostly is achieved through decorations here and there, as I cannot afford vintage furniture. But it gives me comfort, it makes me enjoy my life a tad bit more. The perils of... Anything, really, is when one overdoes it. You can enjoy classic literature, you can enjoy dressing a certain way. But if you try to emulate a very entitled attitude and put people down, that's when it's not ok. I adore "secret history" but at no point have I regarded it as something I aspire to. It's my favourite book, I am attached to the characters precisely because they are messed up, which fits the story very well. But I would never look at them as, idk, role models. Because they most definitely aren't. Maybe the only thing I do appreciate about them is that they are passionate about what they enjoy, and are dedicated to it (to an extreme level!!!!). As an adult I learned that there are so many struggles one has to face. So much... Discontent, so much hopelessness. But if, at the end of the day, after work, and adulting, I can just... Enjoy a nice cup of tea, read a book/watch a movie I enjoy, and do so in a way that feels beautiful to me... Why not. Not every single hobby can turn into something "productive" (as in financially productive). And that's ok. A hobby doesn't have to be expensive either. I thrift books. And they are cheap, just as beautiful, and they smell like chocolate. Also if you're a student and financially struggle and/or are unable to get some obscure book you need for that one class, perhaps a book that isn't being published anymore... Libgen is your friend is all I'm saying). Don't buy every single ancient tome you are probably gonna use for one semester. Be crafty. Because sometimes you gotta be. Unless you can afford those luxuries, case in which, honestly go for it!
I cant BELIEVE that you arent a famous youtuber! Im not even finished watching the video but so far it is amazing, and the most in-depth video ive seen on the secret history so far! Incredibly interesting!
All my love to you for posting this video! As someone who doesn't understand the appeal of dark academia to such wide audience it appears to be captivating, it was very insightful how one book snowballed it into what it is today. Definitely worth it to watch it all for that ending... my metaphorical third eye is opened!
Great video! I recently read The Secret History and even made a video on it and I find myself noddig along to all the points you're bringing up here. I feel like the book is best read and understood by people who have already spend a while in academia to see all the criticisms in it that may just be too subtle otherwise.
Brillianr, you explained what I struggled to grasp. i hated reading the secret history, but I felt complled to complete it because of what everyone else is saying about it. I now understand that by forcing myself to read it, I’m falling into the same trap!
I have to say that I think this is the best critic and analysis of the book I've seen. I found your perspective insightful and thought provoking for myself. This was truly intellectual.
I find myself justifying my obsession with this sort of aesthetic because it looks so beautiful. I so deeply desire to be accepted by its exclusivity, but I have to question if the air of superiority they perpetuate is legitimate or morally right. It all stems from a need to be accepted and the thought of being accepted by "intellectual superiors" would be incredible validation. I have to reflect on if they actually are the height of education and I'm coming to realise that I do not believe this to be necessarily true. My projection stems from my own insecurity. Lol long comment of what I should write in my journal instead of publicizing✌
I was very into dark academia early in my university years, around 2015-2017. I was really trying to romanticize my aloneness and my struggle with my studies. I read the book for the first time about a month ago, now in my late twenties, and see a lot of my younger self in Richard. I attended an elite private university and while everything looked the way I dreamed it would, the truth was that the experience was at times very ugly. Overwork, pride and ego, and no space for those that don’t “fit in.” Really interesting book, but my personal takeaway was that pursuing dark academia as an aesthetic romanticized and covered up a lot of the ugly things lurking underneath the pursuit of academics.
Hi, First time finding your channel. I’ve seen dark academic aesthetic expressed more via the sewing community and was not really clued in to its origin story, so this was very very interesting. Agreed that an aesthetic need not become a worship of an underlying ideology. You are a sharp concise speaker. That’s refreshing on TH-cam.
This is the first time I've come across “dark academia”, so I went away and did a little research. According to Wikipedia: “The subculture is associated with ancient art and classic literature... The fashion of the 1930s and 1940s features prominently in the dark academia aesthetic, particularly clothing associated with attendance at Oxbridge... articles of clothing most associated with the aesthetic are cardigans, blazers, dress shirts,... Oxford shoes, and clothing made of houndstooth and tweed... Seasonal imagery of autumn is also common... The subculture has been described as... nostalgic... philosophical pessimism... (is a) key aspect... of the aesthetic... Donna Tartt's novel The Secret History... has been credited as being the inspiration for the dark academia literary genre... the genre began to grow into an aesthetic...that centred around classic and gothic novels... Dark academia has been criticized for a variety of reasons, including... encouragement of unhealthy lifestyle choices... Amelia Horgan has described dark academia as being rooted in the attitudes of “old humanists committed to preserving and sustaining a traditional and hierarchical culture while preserving the legacy of humanistic study.”... The potential promotion of high usage of alcohol and caffeine has also been a source of criticism.” Considering I'm a caffeine and booze-addicted overly nostalgic philosophical pessimist who wears almost nothing but tweed, dress shirts, cardigans and Oxfords, who took English lit A-level then went on to study art history at Cambridge (where I found myself constantly fighting against what I perceived to be an excessively post-structuralist approach to the subject), whose favourite season is autumn, whose favourite novel is The Secret History and whose favourite novel genre other than detective is gothic, I can't quite believe I've never encountered this subculture before, lol. I can only assume it's because I have no interest in social media and have never been on Instagram, where the trend seems to have started. Although it certainly sums me up to a T, I don't think I'll be bothering to purposefully follow it now I'm aware of what it is. I might have been tempted once upon a time, but frankly I'm a bit too old for all that self-definition, wanky, subculture stuff now tbh... I completely agree about the main appeal of the novel being the way that it is possible to allow oneself to be seduced by what are ostensibly deeply pretentious, cold and unlikeable characters simply by Richard's description of them. When I first read the book aged 15 or so, I couldn't understand why I was left completely cold by the ultimately negative fates of all the protagonists, despite having been greatly attracted to them throughout the novel. It took me a couple of re-reads to realise that it was this curious contradiction between the attractive aesthetic embodied by the characters and the moral reprehensibility of their thoughts and actions that was responsible for my ultimate disinterest in their fates despite having so enjoyed their company throughout the book. I wonder if that's why, since then, I've always had a preference for morally grey anti-heroes in fiction, characters who embody an attractive veneer but are revealed to be deeply flawed, not to say actively evil (Hannibal Lecter springs to mind). Anyway, great analysis on how a subculture can oversimplify the central themes of its own source material, focusing on the surface aesthetic rather than the deeper message. This seems to be a recurring issue with certain subcultures and hardcore fans- my own favourite examples are the people who got “inspired” by American Psycho to follow Patrick Bateman's morning routine (ironic in this context given that American Psycho author Brett Easton Ellis is such a good friend of Donna Tartt's, and their works- especially The Rules of Attraction and The Secret History- are sometimes compared to each other), people who saw the third act of Fight Club and yet still venerate Tyler Durden as a revolutionary fighting against conformism, and the people whose main takeaway from Scarface was how powerful and awesome Tony Montana was (though this last one is slightly more understandable given that the movie's aesthetic does kind of contradict its central theme). I've written extensively about these reactions to all three movies elsewhere: www.quora.com/Why-do-the-men-that-admire-Tyler-Durden-also-admire-Patrick-Bateman-when-the-two-are-about-as-opposite-from-the-other-as-anything-could-ever-be/answer/Oliver-Holmes-Gunning www.quora.com/Why-isnt-Scarface-considered-one-of-the-greatest-movies-of-all-time/answer/Oliver-Holmes-Gunning
Cult and culture and what they entail are the same/similar. You say; agriculture and culture is how you take it just social no traditions/rituals or "worships". But cult wise the hunter/gatherer cultus became a agri-cultus. And the agricultural revolution replaced that culture and view of life/life philosophy.
Secret history is one of my favourite books cause it calls out aestheticism and the obsession with beauty and being perfect. Edit amazing video as always
Finally I find someone who thoroughly criticizes The Secret History. In too many cases, I find people romanticizing this book and making it seem like a "holy grail" of sorts for the Dark Academia aesthetic. On my second read of the book, I found so many instances where I felt almost disgusted or perturbed with the actions and thoughts of the characters. In no way did I think of the actions or internal dialogues as something to find romance in. But anyways, I found myself returning to the book and thinking about it time and time again. And like you said, I found myself "seduced" by it. But in no way did I see myself in any of the characters. Even now, I still find myself being reminded of certain phrases that I have underlined in the book. For instance, when Richard recalls the discussion of murdering Bunny and how they are to do it, Charlie says "But how, how can you possibly justify cold-blooded murder?" and to this, Henry simply and detachedly responds with, "I prefer to think of it, as redistribution of matter." To me, this dialogue sticks in the back of my mind at how numbly Henry became to murdering one of the people he has come to know. He has known Bunny for a while, and he fully understands the impact it will have on everyone if they kill him, and Henry still sticks with the plan. No matter what. And to me, this is what is so heartbreakinly morbid. Henry, and everyone else, becomes so detached to the situation that eventually they all become numb to the fact that they murdered someone they knew. They murdered someone, and still they continue on.
Sorry for such a long comment!! I just loved your video and your thorough criticism of the work... :) Keep it up! Can't wait for the next video you publish :)
no omg don't be sorry for commenting, let alone with a response so in-depth about your own thoughts! and yes to all the points about their detachment to the act, especially henry being fully cognizant of how everyone else will react to having murdered bunny. he gets to go out in the end by his own choice and making, while the rest are left to further spiral and disintegrate. but anyway. thanks so much for the comment, i seriously appreciate it 🤍
It makes sense that the characters perpetuating the murders are the rich kids of the cast. It shows them being out of touch with the regular folk like the farmer and bunny (he wasn't poor but definitely not on the level of the others in terms of money)
Love your analysis. Just finished listening to the audiobook and I definitely got less “academia” and much more psychological thriller and satire from The Secret History
exactly. i recently read babel and i'd say thats more academia than dark, while TSH is more dark and only aesthetically academic
Beautifully articulated critique. I especially enjoyed how you concluded with the Latin origins of the words ‘cult’ and ‘culture’.
Cult: civilisation, order, worship
Culture: Agriculture, cultivation, care
had to sneak in a little latin love in the end !! thank you so much for taking the time to watch and to leave such a succinct and thoughtfully personal comment 🤍
donna tartt was the birthmother of what we know as dark academia today
It would have come about anyway imo due to the romanticization of university, wealth, rich kids, the like. There are movies and books that came before this one that fit the aesthetic. The love for it also, to me, seems to come from the same kind of love people have for antique and victorian aesthetics and architecture.
*“The secret history is an inside joke made into narrative and dark academia is it’s punchline”* - girl! You summarize the mess in my brain so well.
I just got into dark academia and find it interesting that most of the things that are considered Foundation of the aesthetic are the things that activity criticize the whole concept of dark academia itself.
For example Dreamers, A movie which is considered to be the classic dark academia with its scenes constantly coming up on Pinterest as inspirational. The movie literally criticized elitist, pretentious 20 year olds who romanticize their life so much that they completely lose touch with the outside world.
great vid, honestly! i love your way to express yourself and your thoughts. as for myself (an 18yo student who will only ever study the classics from an amateur pov, not wanting to pursue it academically), i realized why i loved TSH so much after my second read. in the endm i realized that it was mostly because i deeply related to a fond principle in TSH’s narrative: obsession. i could ramble on and on for decades on end, but TSH perfectly demonstrated just how much a person (or people, in general) can become obsessed with an idea, or an aesthetic, to the point where they cannot step away and acknowledge if what they are pursuing is morally unacceptable. I found that I deeply relate to that concept, and I especially saw it in Henry (him and I are INTJs and idk if that matters). I remember when Henry was confessing to Richard what they did (the Bacchanal) and how he said “I was obsessed with the idea”… and i just find that those six words tell so mich. anyways, great vid:))
this is the best video i’ve ever watched on dark academia and the secret history in particular, thank you so so much for posting this
This was SUCH a brilliant critique. I just finished TSH and loved it. I watched so many videos and read many reviews of it and yours is by far the best and probably the most realistic reading of the book I've seen so far. thank you for sharing your thoughts and taking time to record and post this video ❤
I will say dark academia for me (Romanian, broke, a lot of stuff happened in the world, we're next to a huge conflict rn, geographically the closest to it). But thing about it is... I don't see it, personally... As an attitude to have, a behaviour to portray, but more like... Just that, an aesthetic. Humans like beautiful things. For me, personally, because the Romanian education system is different than the American one (both for the better and the worse, but thing is here if it's a state owned university - and the oldest ones sorta are - then if you have good GOOD grades, you will not pay one dime to study there, not one, at all). I went to university, one of the oldest here, and I had good grades so I didn't pay anything at all. But I don't consider myself better in any way than someone who didn't have the chance to do it, for whatever reason. I didn't like uni life much, I had personal struggles that kinda stopped me from enjoying it, so I am making up for it through dark academia.
I don't act entitled, that's not who I am, and I won't try to "lecture" people on the merits of the classics. But I enjoy dressing a certain way, and having my living space look a certain way. I am broke, so mostly is achieved through decorations here and there, as I cannot afford vintage furniture. But it gives me comfort, it makes me enjoy my life a tad bit more.
The perils of... Anything, really, is when one overdoes it. You can enjoy classic literature, you can enjoy dressing a certain way. But if you try to emulate a very entitled attitude and put people down, that's when it's not ok.
I adore "secret history" but at no point have I regarded it as something I aspire to. It's my favourite book, I am attached to the characters precisely because they are messed up, which fits the story very well. But I would never look at them as, idk, role models. Because they most definitely aren't.
Maybe the only thing I do appreciate about them is that they are passionate about what they enjoy, and are dedicated to it (to an extreme level!!!!).
As an adult I learned that there are so many struggles one has to face. So much... Discontent, so much hopelessness. But if, at the end of the day, after work, and adulting, I can just... Enjoy a nice cup of tea, read a book/watch a movie I enjoy, and do so in a way that feels beautiful to me... Why not.
Not every single hobby can turn into something "productive" (as in financially productive). And that's ok. A hobby doesn't have to be expensive either. I thrift books. And they are cheap, just as beautiful, and they smell like chocolate.
Also if you're a student and financially struggle and/or are unable to get some obscure book you need for that one class, perhaps a book that isn't being published anymore... Libgen is your friend is all I'm saying). Don't buy every single ancient tome you are probably gonna use for one semester. Be crafty. Because sometimes you gotta be. Unless you can afford those luxuries, case in which, honestly go for it!
This is the first good take on The Secret History I've ever encountered, well said!
I cant BELIEVE that you arent a famous youtuber! Im not even finished watching the video but so far it is amazing, and the most in-depth video ive seen on the secret history so far! Incredibly interesting!
What an exquisite and insightful evaluation. Thank you for deep diving this subject.
All my love to you for posting this video! As someone who doesn't understand the appeal of dark academia to such wide audience it appears to be captivating, it was very insightful how one book snowballed it into what it is today. Definitely worth it to watch it all for that ending... my metaphorical third eye is opened!
Great video! I recently read The Secret History and even made a video on it and I find myself noddig along to all the points you're bringing up here. I feel like the book is best read and understood by people who have already spend a while in academia to see all the criticisms in it that may just be too subtle otherwise.
really enjoyed this! best video i’ve watched on the secret history
Brillianr, you explained what I struggled to grasp. i hated reading the secret history, but I felt complled to complete it because of what everyone else is saying about it. I now understand that by forcing myself to read it, I’m falling into the same trap!
This is a gorgeous video, thank you for your in depth interpretation on dark academia!!!
I have to say that I think this is the best critic and analysis of the book I've seen. I found your perspective insightful and thought provoking for myself. This was truly intellectual.
I find myself justifying my obsession with this sort of aesthetic because it looks so beautiful. I so deeply desire to be accepted by its exclusivity, but I have to question if the air of superiority they perpetuate is legitimate or morally right. It all stems from a need to be accepted and the thought of being accepted by "intellectual superiors" would be incredible validation. I have to reflect on if they actually are the height of education and I'm coming to realise that I do not believe this to be necessarily true. My projection stems from my own insecurity.
Lol long comment of what I should write in my journal instead of publicizing✌
The book itself doesnt romanticise anything. Its from the pov of one of the characters that does it. And the people are the ones who do it.
I was very into dark academia early in my university years, around 2015-2017. I was really trying to romanticize my aloneness and my struggle with my studies.
I read the book for the first time about a month ago, now in my late twenties, and see a lot of my younger self in Richard.
I attended an elite private university and while everything looked the way I dreamed it would, the truth was that the experience was at times very ugly. Overwork, pride and ego, and no space for those that don’t “fit in.”
Really interesting book, but my personal takeaway was that pursuing dark academia as an aesthetic romanticized and covered up a lot of the ugly things lurking underneath the pursuit of academics.
Hi, First time finding your channel. I’ve seen dark academic aesthetic expressed more via the sewing community and was not really clued in to its origin story, so this was very very interesting. Agreed that an aesthetic need not become a worship of an underlying ideology. You are a sharp concise speaker. That’s refreshing on TH-cam.
This was a fantastic video, thank you for sharing!
this is so good. thanks luv
thank you so much for watching and taking the time to comment 🤍
i love your analysis! thanks for this
I completely agree with everything you said. This was such a great video, congratulations.
Wonderfully said!! I Ioved watching this
Lol you went hard on this one!! Would love some book recommendation vids from you. Nice discussion 👍
it’s criminal how few subscribers you have girl
omygod r u filo ?? FINALLY
also nice video essay !!
finally another secret history fan with critical thinking skills
I thought we were about to get a confession at the start…. Good video👍
this is amazing, thank you so much :)
I love this video!
This is the first time I've come across “dark academia”, so I went away and did a little research. According to Wikipedia:
“The subculture is associated with ancient art and classic literature... The fashion of the 1930s and 1940s features prominently in the dark academia aesthetic, particularly clothing associated with attendance at Oxbridge... articles of clothing most associated with the aesthetic are cardigans, blazers, dress shirts,... Oxford shoes, and clothing made of houndstooth and tweed... Seasonal imagery of autumn is also common... The subculture has been described as... nostalgic... philosophical pessimism... (is a) key aspect... of the aesthetic... Donna Tartt's novel The Secret History... has been credited as being the inspiration for the dark academia literary genre... the genre began to grow into an aesthetic...that centred around classic and gothic novels... Dark academia has been criticized for a variety of reasons, including... encouragement of unhealthy lifestyle choices... Amelia Horgan has described dark academia as being rooted in the attitudes of “old humanists committed to preserving and sustaining a traditional and hierarchical culture while preserving the legacy of humanistic study.”... The potential promotion of high usage of alcohol and caffeine has also been a source of criticism.”
Considering I'm a caffeine and booze-addicted overly nostalgic philosophical pessimist who wears almost nothing but tweed, dress shirts, cardigans and Oxfords, who took English lit A-level then went on to study art history at Cambridge (where I found myself constantly fighting against what I perceived to be an excessively post-structuralist approach to the subject), whose favourite season is autumn, whose favourite novel is The Secret History and whose favourite novel genre other than detective is gothic, I can't quite believe I've never encountered this subculture before, lol. I can only assume it's because I have no interest in social media and have never been on Instagram, where the trend seems to have started. Although it certainly sums me up to a T, I don't think I'll be bothering to purposefully follow it now I'm aware of what it is. I might have been tempted once upon a time, but frankly I'm a bit too old for all that self-definition, wanky, subculture stuff now tbh...
I completely agree about the main appeal of the novel being the way that it is possible to allow oneself to be seduced by what are ostensibly deeply pretentious, cold and unlikeable characters simply by Richard's description of them. When I first read the book aged 15 or so, I couldn't understand why I was left completely cold by the ultimately negative fates of all the protagonists, despite having been greatly attracted to them throughout the novel. It took me a couple of re-reads to realise that it was this curious contradiction between the attractive aesthetic embodied by the characters and the moral reprehensibility of their thoughts and actions that was responsible for my ultimate disinterest in their fates despite having so enjoyed their company throughout the book. I wonder if that's why, since then, I've always had a preference for morally grey anti-heroes in fiction, characters who embody an attractive veneer but are revealed to be deeply flawed, not to say actively evil (Hannibal Lecter springs to mind).
Anyway, great analysis on how a subculture can oversimplify the central themes of its own source material, focusing on the surface aesthetic rather than the deeper message. This seems to be a recurring issue with certain subcultures and hardcore fans- my own favourite examples are the people who got “inspired” by American Psycho to follow Patrick Bateman's morning routine (ironic in this context given that American Psycho author Brett Easton Ellis is such a good friend of Donna Tartt's, and their works- especially The Rules of Attraction and The Secret History- are sometimes compared to each other), people who saw the third act of Fight Club and yet still venerate Tyler Durden as a revolutionary fighting against conformism, and the people whose main takeaway from Scarface was how powerful and awesome Tony Montana was (though this last one is slightly more understandable given that the movie's aesthetic does kind of contradict its central theme). I've written extensively about these reactions to all three movies elsewhere:
www.quora.com/Why-do-the-men-that-admire-Tyler-Durden-also-admire-Patrick-Bateman-when-the-two-are-about-as-opposite-from-the-other-as-anything-could-ever-be/answer/Oliver-Holmes-Gunning
www.quora.com/Why-isnt-Scarface-considered-one-of-the-greatest-movies-of-all-time/answer/Oliver-Holmes-Gunning
Cult and culture and what they entail are the same/similar. You say; agriculture and culture is how you take it just social no traditions/rituals or "worships". But cult wise the hunter/gatherer cultus became a agri-cultus. And the agricultural revolution replaced that culture and view of life/life philosophy.
What a fantastic video ...
sooooo should i read ittt
i belong to this kinda world
i believe you
Chocolate drink