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Dark Academia quickly became an internet aesthetic when the pandemic hit in early 2020 and students and lecturers alike were yearning for the full campus experience but had to make do with Zoom lessons instead. The phenomenon hasn’t only remained strong on social media but it is still finding its way into contemporary novels. However, an evolution of the genre of dark academia narratives seems visible: Stories no longer only rely on the typical romanticization of academic learning as portrayed in books such The Secret History but the genre has branched out into areas such as magical realism, fantasy, queer love stories, and monster narratives.
In this seminar we will watch and discuss some examples of traditional dark academia narratives through film and then explore how newer novels adopt and adapt these strategies. Previous attendance of my “From the Campus Novel to Dark Academia” is NOT necessary, but it might help with delineating the evolution of trends. What is expected, however, is the willingness to read the assigned novels. Please obtain your own copies of:
Mona Awad’s Bunny,
Leigh Bardugo’s Ninth House and
R.F. Kuang's Katabasis |
