Episode 6.3: ‘The Haunting of Hill House’ by Shirley Jackson
Oct 17, 2023
Show notes
Our dark academia adjacent book for Season 6 is a classic horror novel from the Queen of the Southern Gothic, Ms Shirley Jackson, and one of Sophie’s favourite authors.
It’s officially spooky season so we’re looking at ‘The Haunting of Hill House’.
How does the Gothic and horror play into dark academia?
In this episode we discuss:
- The way that Shirley Jackson pokes fun at horror, while also writing a genuinely terrifying horror novel
- The academic approach to studying the occult and supernatural
- Eleanor and unreliable narrators
Episode 6.2: ‘Gothikana’ by RuNyx
Oct 03, 2023
Show notes
This week’s episode features a book like nothing we’ve featured before: a spicy TikTok dark romance that the BookTok girlies are shouting from the rooftops and calling dark academia at every chance they get.
"If this is madness," she whispered almost against his lips, "drown me in it." Corvina Clemm is a woman with secrets. The last thing she expects to receive is an admission letter from the University of Verenmore, a place just as secretive. A castle atop a mountain, Verenmore is steeped in shadows, deceit and death, a place where students have been disappearing every five years for over a century. As Corvina becomes caught up in unravelling the clues to solve the mystery, her path collides with Vad Deverell, her enigmatic professor. Vad, too, is a man with secrets. And he cannot allow Corvina to get close enough to discover what he hides. But whenever she is near, his heart and soul yearn to possess her. As Corvina and Vad become more and more entangled, their passion for each other could be the very thing to solve the mystery of Verenmore - or it could bring them both down in flames.
With a secretive university located on a mountain, an enigmatic professor and a forbidden romance, it’s ticking some boxes already, but will it live up to our examination?
In this episode we discuss:
- Uncomfortable and creepy relationships with power imbalances
- The lack of academics
- A lack of answers and unfinished business
Episode 6.1: ‘The Magicians’ by Lev Grossman
Sep 19, 2023
Show notes
We’re back for season six (!) of ‘The Dark Academicals’ and we’ve got a line-up full of spooks and scares for the best reading season of the year.
Our first pick takes us to a New York magic school and an obsession with a childhood fantasy book series in ‘The Magicians’ by Lev Grossman.
Does this portal fantasy have what it takes to also take the title of dark academia?
In this episode we discuss:
- The lacklustre magic system and world-building
- The numerous influences from ‘The Chronicles of Narnia’ and ‘Harry Potter’
- Misogyny, ableism and fatphobia in the novel
Episode 5.6: ‘How We Fall Apart’ by Katie Zhao
Aug 08, 2023
Show notes
It’s time for the finale of season five already and we can’t believe it! What a season we’ve had.
We’re closing out the season with ‘How We Fall Apart’ by Katie Zhao which has been on our radars for a good few years because of the prep school setting and promise of deep, dark secrets.
Crazy Rich Asians meets One of Us is Lying in this electrifying YA thriller where students at an elite prep school are forced to confront their secrets when their ex-best friend turns up dead. Nancy Luo is shocked when her former best friend, Jamie Ruan, top-ranked junior at Sinclair Prep, goes missing, and then is found dead. Nancy is even more shocked when word starts to spread that she and her friends - Krystal, Akil, and Alexander - are the prime suspects, thanks to "the Proctor," someone anonymously incriminating them via the school's social media app. They all used to be Jamie's closest friends, and she knew each of their deepest, darkest secrets. Now, somehow the Proctor knows them, too. The four must uncover the true killer before The Proctor exposes more than they can bear and costs them more than they can afford, like Nancy's full scholarship. Soon, Nancy suspects that her friends may be keeping secrets from her, too. Katie Zhao's YA debut is an edge-of-your-seat drama set in the pressure-cooker world of academics and image at Sinclair Prep, where the past threatens the future these teens have carefully crafted for themselves. How We Fall Apart is the irresistible, addicting, Asian-American recast of Gossip Girl that we've all been waiting for.
But can it be dark academia as well as a thriller?
In this episode we discuss:
- The comparisons to ‘Gossip Girl’, ‘Pretty Little Liars’ and ‘Mean Girls’
- How knowledge of the setting (NYC) and the shows it reflected created the setting more than the writing did
- Why we always end the season on a bum note…
Happy listening! Sophie & Sarah
Episode 5.5: ‘The Cloisters’ by Katy Hays
Jul 25, 2023
Show notes
‘The Cloisters’ was one of our most anticipated debuts of 2022 but we’ve been saving it to feature on the pod and we are both SO excited to finally be getting to it.
With comparisons to ‘The Secret History’ and a setting of The Met in NYC, mentions of the Gothic and tarot, it was a no-brainer. but will it prove to be dark academia?
Episode 5.4: ‘Brideshead Revisited’ by Evelyn Waugh
Jul 11, 2023
Show notes
It’s time for our dark academia adjacent title for season 5! We’re heading back to the world of modern classics to discuss a title that is often cited as a pre-cursor to the campus novel, itself laying the groundwork for dark academia.
There’s always something special about finally reading a classic that’s been on your TBR for literal years, and even more so when you also get to examine it! It gives us literature gals a thrill.
Brideshead Revisited is Evelyn Waugh's stunning novel of duty and desire set amongst the decadent, faded glory of the English aristocracy in the run-up to the Second World War.The most nostalgic and reflective of Evelyn Waugh's novels, Brideshead Revisited looks back to the golden age before the Second World War. It tells the story of Charles Ryder's infatuation with the Marchmains and the rapidly disappearing world of privilege they inhabit. Enchanted first by Sebastian Flyte at Oxford, then by his doomed Catholic family, in particular his remote sister, Julia, Charles comes finally to recognise his spiritual and social distance from them.
I always find the blurbs for classics a little…lacklustre, but I have a good feeling about this one! Will it demonstrate itself as informing dark academia, though?
Episode 5.3: ‘The Ruins’ by Phoebe Wynne
Jun 27, 2023
Show notes
We discussed Phoebe Wynne’s debut novel, ‘Madam’, in the very first season of the podcast and it’s a favourite book of both of ours. The vibes were immaculate and so we had to give ‘The Ruins’ a go too.
There’s something about the way that Wynne crafts setting and atmosphere which screamed dark academia in ‘Madam’ so we can’t wait to see her turn her hand to a sun-drenched setting and see what brings to the table.
COME FOR THE DECADENCE. LIVE THE NIGHTMARE. STAY FOR THE REVENGE. . . Summer, 1985: Ruby has stayed at the chateau with her family every summer of her twelve years. It was her favourite place to be, away from the strictures of her formal childhood, but this year uninvited guests have descended, and everything is about to change... As the intense August heat cloaks the chateau, the adults within start to lose sight of themselves. Old disputes are thrown back and forth, tempers rise, morals loosen, and darkness begins to creep around them all. Ruby and her two young friends soon discover it is best not to be seen or heard as the summer spirals down to one fateful night and an incident that can never be undone... Summer, 2010: One of the three young girls, now grown and newly widowed, returns to the chateau, and in her fight to free herself from its grip, she uncovers what truly happened that long, dark summer. With riveting psychological complexity, The Ruins captures the glittering allure of the Mediterranean, and the dark shadows that wait beneath the surface.
Will we find the makings of dark academia in the Mediterranean?
In this episode we discuss:
The treatment of women and girls in the novel and upper-class English society
The parallels between the Greek mythos of The Trojan War and the events of the novel
Phoebe Wynn’s mastery of atmosphere and setting
You can listen to it here:
Episode 5.3: 'The Ruins' by Phoebe Wynne
The Dark Academicals
Podcast RSS
TEXTS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
‘The Ruins’ by Phoebe Wynne
‘Madam’ by Phoebe Wynne
‘The Secret History’ by Donna Tartt
Agatha Christie’s novels
‘The Things We Do to Our Friends’ by Heather Darwent
‘Brideshead Revisited’ by Evelyn Waugh
OTHER MEDIA AND POP CULTURE MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
‘Made in Chelsea’
The ‘mad woman in the attic’ trope
Greek mythology, particularly those surrounding
If you fancy taking a chance on ‘The Ruins’, we’d love it if you considered using our bookshop.org link below to purchase your copy of the book which helps us fund ‘The Dark Academicals’ and gives back to independent bookshops at no extra cost to you.
Episode 5.2: ‘Hell Bent’ by Leigh Bardugo
Jun 13, 2023
Show notes
We are tackling a sequel for the first time on the podcast this week, because who can deny the world a trip to Hell with Leigh Bardugo. It’s time to head back to Yale and fall in love with Alex and Darlington all over again. If they make it out alive, that is…
There will be spoilers for book one, ‘Ninth House’, in this week’s episode and the information below so please tread carefully if you haven’t finished the books yet.
Wealth. Power. Murder. Magic. Alex Stern is back and the Ivy League is going straight to hell. Find a gateway to the underworld. Steal a soul out of hell. A simple plan, except people who make this particular journey rarely come back. But Galaxy "Alex" Stern is determined to break Darlington out of purgatory?even if it costs her a future at Lethe and at Yale. Forbidden from attempting a rescue, Alex and Dawes can't call on the Ninth House for help, so they assemble a team of dubious allies to save the gentleman of Lethe. Together, they will have to navigate a maze of arcane texts and bizarre artifacts to uncover the societies' most closely guarded secrets, and break every rule doing it. But when faculty members begin to die off, Alex knows these aren't just accidents. Something deadly is at work in New Haven, and if she is going to survive, she'll have to reckon with the monsters of her past and a darkness built into the university's very walls. Thick with history and packed with Bardugo's signature twists, Hell Bent brings to life an intricate world full of magic, violence, and all too real monsters.
We are both so excited to be back talking about this world and characters again. We deemed ‘Ninth House’ as dark academia, but will ‘Hell Bent’ follow suit?
In this episode we discuss:
The colonial history and system issues of the Ivy League
Power, privilege and the trappings of class and socioeconomic status
Several ‘Gilmore Girls’ tangents…
You can listen to it here:
Episode 5.2: 'Hell Bent' by Leigh Bardugo
The Dark Academicals
Podcast RSS
TEXTS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
‘Hell Bent’ by Leigh Bardugo
‘Ninth House’ by Leigh Bardugo
‘Shadow and Bone’ by Leigh Bardugo
‘Six of Crows’ by Leigh Bardugo
‘The Secret History’ by Donna Tartt
‘New Moon’ by Stephenie Meyer
‘The Things We Do to Our Friends’ by Harwent Darwent
‘The Great Gatsby’ by F Scott Fitzgerald
‘Plain Bad Heroines’ by emily m danforth
‘The Ruins’ by Phoebe Wynne
OTHER MEDIA AND POP CULTURE MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
‘Gilmore Girls’
The Muppets
‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’
‘Supernatural’
‘Grease’
Freemasons
If ‘Hell Bent’ is still on your wishlist and you fancy a little treat this week, we’d love it if you considered using our bookshop.org link below to purchase your copy of the book which helps us fund ‘The Dark Academicals’ and gives back to independent bookshops at no extra cost to you.
Episode 5.1: ‘Babel’ by RF Kuang
May 30, 2023
Show notes
It’s happening. We’re finally doing it.
The book launching Season Five (!!) of ‘The Dark Academicals’ is RF Kuang’s huge 2022 release, ‘Babel’.
We’re both new to Kuang and have been completely intimidated by the hype for ‘Babel’, but it’s time.
Traduttore, traditore: An act of translation is always an act of betrayal.
Oxford, 1836.
The city of dreaming spires.
It is the centre of all knowledge and progress in the world.
And at its centre is Babel, the Royal Institute of Translation. The tower from which all the power of the Empire flows.
Orphaned in Canton and brought to England by a mysterious guardian, Babel seemed like paradise to Robin Swift.
Until it became a prison…
But can a student stand against an empire?
An incendiary new novel from award-winning author R.F. Kuang about the power of language, the violence of colonialism, and the sacrifices of resistance.
With the combination of Oxford, university, a focus on language and translation, and the pull of an outsider main character, it’s got to be dark academia, right? Did it tick all of our boxes, though?
In this episode we discuss:
Colonialism, the British Empire and the
The use of footnotes and etymology in the novel
How the use of a secret society in ‘Babel’ turns the trope upside down
You can listen to it here:
Episode 5.1: 'Babel' by RF Kuang
The Dark Academicals
Podcast RSS
TEXTS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
‘Babel’ by RF Kuang
‘The Poppy War’ by RF Kuang
‘Flashman Papers’ series by George MacDonald Fraser
‘The Secret History’ by Donna Tartt
‘Hell Bent’ by Leigh Bardugo
OTHER MEDIA AND POP CULTURE MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
Lord Flashheart from ‘Blackadder”
If like us you’ve been putting off ‘Babel’ but are finally ready to give it a shot, we’d love it if you considered using our bookshop.org link below to purchase your copy of the book which helps us fund ‘The Dark Academicals’ and gives back to independent bookshops at no extra cost to you.
Episode 4.6: ‘My Dearest Darkest’ by Kayla Cottingham
Apr 18, 2023
Show notes
‘My Dearest Darkest’ seems to have flown a little under our dark academia radar and it’s one of those novels that I’ve seen people haul, but never actually read and review. We’re giving it it’s moment today.
‘Wilder Girls’ meets ‘The Craft’ in this Sapphic horror debut that asks: what price would you be willing to pay to achieve your deepest desires?
Finch Chamberlin is the newest transfer student to the ultra-competitive Ulalume Academy... but she's also not what she seems. Months before school started, Finch and her parents got into an accident that should have left her dead at the bottom of the river. But something monstrous, and ancient, and terrifying, wouldn't let her drown. Finch doesn't know why she woke up after her heart stopped, but since dying she's felt a constant pull from the school and the surrounding town of Rainwater, like something on the island is calling to her.
Selena St. Clair sees right through Finch, and she knows something is seriously wrong with her. But despite Selena's suspicion, she feels drawn to Finch and has a sinking feeling that from now on the two will be inexplicably linked to one another.
One night Finch, Selena, and her friends accidentally summon a carnivorous creature of immense power in the depths of the school. It promises to grant every desire the girls have kept locked away in their insecure hearts—beauty, power, adoration—in exchange for a price: human body parts. But as the cost of their wanting becomes more deadly, Finch and Selena must learn to work together to stop the horror they unleashed, before it consumes the entire island.
Accidentally summoning a…something in an exclusive academy? Give it to me. This book looks like it’s going to be huge fun, but it is dark academia?
In this episode we discuss:
The lack of emotional and emotional agency of the characters
Ticking trope boxes vs actually embodying the genre
Clashing genres and plot devices
You can listen to it here:
Episode 4.6: 'My Dearest Darkest' by Kayla Cottingham
The Dark Academicals
Podcast RSS
TEXTS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
‘My Dearest Darkest’ by Kayla Cottingham
‘Wilder Girls’ by Rory Power
‘The Secret History’ by Donna Tartt
OTHER MEDIA AND POP CULTURE MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
‘The Craft’ (1996)
‘The Ring’ (2002)
If you fancy taking a chance on ‘My Dearest Darkest’, we’d love it if you considered using our bookshop.org link below to purchase your copy of the book which helps us fund ‘The Dark Academicals’ and gives back to independent bookshops at no extra cost to you.
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