Dark Academia

The rejuvenation of dark academia through the lens of social media

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[the class hesitates to rip out the introduction page]
“It's not the Bible, you're not gonna go to Hell for this.”

This dialogue by John Keating in Dead Poets Society, the teen drama film in 1989 inspires many souls trying to romanticize life in 2022. The aesthetic and subculture known as dark academia is a massive genre to describe, stretching its branches of elements through various mediums of literature, architecture, art, fashion, and now films!

Before I begin to talk about the position of dark academia in the film industry, what do my readers picture in their minds about this particular genre?

Tweed blazers, Martin loafers, coffee, old libraries, castles, dried roses sealed in epistles, reading poetry to your mysterious soulmate, dark secrets and the list goes on. The aesthetic brings a gothic, hopeless romantics, desire for knowledge and mystery element.

Stephen Hawking in “The Theory of Everything”, an Oscar winning film, studying at Cambridge University in the 60s is an ideal example of a dark academic student striving for academic validation. The passion for knowledge and inner exploration of one’s self is a major element of dark academia which is portrayed in many films under this genre. One of the biggest influences of dark academia is the series “Harry Potter” which ran from 1997 to 2011. It is the aesthetics such as secrets and mystery that Harry Potter lovers watch for escapism. Potter-heads are a part of this dark academic cult to boot.

However, dark academia is not just about students of old universities roaming in their loafers and plaid skirts to discuss literature as a hobby like in “Dead Poets Society (1989)”. Daniel Radcliffe’s starrer “Kill Your Darlings” (2013) involves the murder mystery of the acquaintance of poets Allen Ginsberg (Daniel Radcliffe) and Lucien Carr (Dane DeHaan). The idea of suicide, blood, murder, and drugs in the form of escapism happens to pull off threads of negative and dangerous aspects of different philosophies adopted in films. “Dorian Gray” (2009), starring Ben Barnes, is a wicked tale of the desire for immortality and youth by the main character, Dorian Gray. Based on the classic novel by Oscar Wilde, titled, The Picture of Dorian Gray. “I can assure you, pleasure is very different from happiness”, quoted in the movie when devoured by young minds following this aesthetic cult might encourage them to practice self-harming behaviors and mental illness. Films dealing with dark academia romanticise suicides and murder. TV shows and movies like “The Frankenstein Chronicles”, “The Woman In White”, “Sherlock”, “Atonement” and many more are not tales about students studying and romanticizing their life to achieve high grades and validation. These movies explore the dark side of this academic aesthetic.

To talk deeper into the mystery and secrecy of dark academia, I would like to emphasize the style of this aesthetic portrayed in these films through various elements and scenes. The main character in the film will be on a journey of self-exploration and pursuit of knowledge. The epitome of dark academia is the book named “The Secret History” by Donna Tart which revolves around a group of students studying in liberal arts college who murders a fellow student. The nature of the subculture has been adapted in films and tv shows such as “Sherlock” starring Benedict Cumberbatch. The artistic principles in the show screams academia in everything, be it fashion, architecture, cinematography, characters, or direction. The philosophy and elite culture of the high social class take dark academia into western culture, where Latin and Greek are elevated languages.

“Little Women” (2019)  captures the old-school aesthetics in the film. The humanities and bookish talks about Shakespeare are involved. The lead female Jo March dreams to be a writer whereas the younger sister aspires to be an artist and learn from France. The appreciation of art and books is a notable feature of dark academia which is used in movies by making the characters professors, students of a reputed university, or people in pursuit of knowledge. “Mark Shelly” (2017) featuring Elle Fanning is a historical drama that tells the life of the writer Shelly and her brilliant novel Frankenstein. The movie is aesthetically pleasing and gothic. Other films I find talking about liberals, intellectuals, and universities are “Tolkein” (2019), “The Riot Club” (2014), and “The Dreamers” (2003). Since the 2010s Tumblr has been the domain of appreciation of dark academia, the popularity revived with TikTok in the 2020s when students were parted from schools in the pandemic. The users came forward to act out the lifestyle of dark academia they’ve seen in movies and books. They impersonated characters from “Dead Poets Society” and “Harry Potter”, these films serve as the epitome of dark academia in the media. Films with dark academic fashion drew the hearts of old souls and swifties. After getting an immense response on hashtags and social media, these movies present a life of romanticizing self-exploration and academics. Some famous dark academic movie characters are Hermione Granger (Harry Potter series),  John Keating (Dead Poets Society),  Jo March (Little Women), Tommy Shelby (Peaky Blinders), Beth Harmon (The Queen’s Gambit), Allen Ginsberg (Kill Your Darlings), Sherlock (Sherlock), and many more.

The utopian love story and homosexuality are other themes that movies depict in dark academic aesthetics. “Maurice” (1987) tells the story of accepting sexuality and finding true love after being oppressed by Edwardian society. Dark academia has seen a sudden blow in popularity through social media, and OTT platforms such as Netflix have been creating new shows around the subculture of dark academia. The beauty of its aesthetic due to its popularity has reached the bigger screen for the spectators to not just read about the culture but act and watch the characters through movies and shows.

- Written by Jasmine