A Beginner's Guide to Dark Academia

A fascination and an inevitable attraction towards the dark academia aesthetic comes complimentary with the first classic one reads and cherishes. However, the understanding of the concept tends to remain ambiguous and often misinformed. 

When I read my first classic novel- "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" in 7^th grade, for school, I found myself intrigued and obsessed by the idea of black coffee, little known bookstores and sticking to reading exclusively classic Literature. Looking back now, I sincerely wish that by any means possible I would've known better, to explore the concept beyond the superficial aesthetic and also avoid confining myself to a mere visual understanding. 

Don't worry about missing out though, here's everything you need to know before you commit yourself and go neck deep into labelling yourself as a "Dark Academic," as Eleanor Roosevelt said- “Learn from the mistakes of others. You can't live long enough to make them all yourself.”

What is Dark Academia?

Dark Academia is an aesthetic that takes inspiration from classic and old Literature and philosophy as well as the themes of existentialism and death. The focus is essentially on having a general passion for knowledge and a perpetual longing for learning. The concept revolves around self-discovery via embracing an unending search for answers to ever-increasing questions and a growing curiosity, to find oneself while getting lost in the ocean of enlightenment.

The pursue of dark academia has traditionally been regarded as scholarly in a manner that renounces materialistic ties, however,  in terms of today's pop-culture one may refer to the same as 'Vintage-emo,' which brings us to the next segment of the post.

The Pursuit of Dark Academia

To state the obvious, Classic Literature is a major part of Dark Academia, what happens to be overlooked often is that Dark Academia is as much "The Prisoner of Azkaban" as it is "Macbeth." Yes, you read that right, if you're an early 2000's kid with a spectacular knowledge of the Hogwarts universe, congratulations, you're already on your way to become a Dark Academic. Although Dark Academia is all about knowledge and learning in all spheres, it promotes Humanities and Liberal Arts as a passion for its admirers. It asks one to learn, not for fame or recognition, but to understand, a comprehension that one must study not because one needs to but because they want to, because nobody can take knowledge away, because the more you learn, the more you grow.

That being said, moving on from basics to the background.

Origin and Background of Dark Academia

The subculture derives its inspiration from classical vintage themes, yet, the genre births in the 1980s. 

The famous 1989 cinematic gem, 'Dead Poet's Society' popularised this particular culture. The theme of the movie revolves around romance and death while ascribing utmost importance to the literary arts thus covering every aspect of Dark Academia.

Donna Tart's phenomenal novel, 'The Secret History,' has been credited with introducing the dark academia literary genre.
The book marvellously captures the story of a murder that takes place within classics' students in New England. 

Social media sites, especially, Tumblr and Instagram publicised the aesthetic. However, many of the original Dark Academia influencers and bloggers have distanced themselves from the mainstream subculture due to the problem of elitism which I shall be discussing further.

Cultural Impact

The Dark Academia aesthetic derives its visual inspiration from European, especially French culture. The core, nonetheless, is primarily based on students of Oxford, Cambridge and Ivy League schools, (Hence, the elitism involved). Thus, producing a unique and wonderful blend of European and English culture. 

 

The European Influence:

Dark Academia is about a poet in a little known thrift bookstore in Paris, dressed in an oversized cardigan and Chelsea boots while sipping a cup of warm, black coffee. The rich French Literature and a longing to romanticise every little aspect of life and to understand the meaning of existence.

             The English Influence:

Dark Academia is about a Literature student in a library, dusting an old book, wrapped in a warm muffler, in a blazer and plaid skirts, while furiously jotting down notes, contemplating the meaning of life and death. 

What is to be noted here is that despite taking its inspiration from specific cultures and background, the community is not confined to people from a particular class or race, it does not discriminate and welcomes anyone with a general thirst of knowledge and devotion towards learning.

Dark Academia: The Aesthetic

Now coming to my favourite part of the blog entry. The aesthetic or visual appeal of the subculture has several aspects. The general colour palette comprises warm, neutral, earthy and as the name suggests, dark hues. I'll be elucidating on some of the aesthetics here, one at a time.

• Lifestyle: The stereotypical dark academia lifestyle is often misinterpreted as unhealthy, which is not the case. In fact, the absence of an entirely unhealthy lifestyle is what separates Dark Academia from Chaotic Academia. The Dark Academia lifestyle includes:
• Thrifting
• Alone time
• 
  Zoning out
• Restless reading
• Hoarding books
• Listening to lo-fi music
• Frequent visits to museums
• Philosophical Debates with strangers
• Eating in small, vintage, unpopular cafes and bakeries
  

• 
  The Fashion: The fashion of the 1930s and 1940s prominently features in the theme. The clothing items worn by students of elite universities are an important aspect of the subculture's fashion. Vintage-Gothic Parisian styles are also a major component of dark academia's fashion. The fashion also focuses on monochrome tones. Some of the statement pieces would be:  
• Blazers
• Oversized Cardigans                
  
• Sweater Vests
• Huge Glasses
• Cosy Mufflers
• Plaid Skirts
• Long socks/Stockings
• Boots
• Ties

                                                                              

• Study Habits: Dark Academia is a general passion for learning, therefore a particular way of studying is known to be a part of the aesthetic. It is to be noted that these habits often tend to be unhealthy, if not taken up properly. The study habits include:
• 
  All-nighters
• Journalling 
• Calligraphy
• Analysing poetry
• Philosophical debates
• Researching independently
• Re-writing notes over and over again
• Studying early morning and pondering over it all-day
• Associating subjects or chapters to people, things or places.

• Eateries: Dark Academia takes a lot of its inspiration from French and English culture, thus the eateries associated with it are small, vintage bakeries and cafes. Being so submerged in learning that one forgets to eat, despite being extremely unhealthy, is also largely associated with Dark Academia (should never be practised). This subculture's food aesthetic includes:

• Wines
• Whiskey
• Green tea
• Croissants
• iced coffee 
• Dark chocolates
• Black coffee (Duh!)
• Freshly baked Cookies

• Visual Appeal: Since Dark Academia is about Learning in a vintage manner other aesthetic objects are also involved to provide an overall visual appeal to somewhat bring back a 40s look in the current times. These objects may involve:
• 
  Pianos
• Violins
• Daggers
• Ink Pens
• Polaroids
• Sculptures
• Old Books
• Typewriters
• Scented Candles
• Balloon Glasses

The Dark Side

Like any other existence, Dark Academia is not without its drawbacks. While the aesthetic is not inherently negative, the perspective with which one decides to undertake it makes a lot of difference. 

The apparent encouragement of classist and elitist attitude paints a negative picture. Quite a lot of times dark academics get involved with unhealthy habits, considering those to be a part of the concept.

Classism: Several dark academics often fall prey to the misconception that labour work is inferior to intellectual work. This aids the belief that dark academia is reserved exclusively for supervising intellectuals. This, however, is untrue as anyone with a natural curiosity can undertake dark academia subculture.

Elitism: Dark Academia is largely based upon students from elite universities and Ivy League schools, thus, leading people to believe that dark Academia is for that group of elites only. The group, while constituting a majority of the subculture, is not the COMPLETE subculture. The elitist attitude excludes several people from exploring dark academia.

Unhealthy Habits: Losing sleep for too long and developing anti-social tendencies is often associated with dark academia. The excess intake of caffeine and alcohol, sometimes smoking, are undertaken by academics. 

While the aesthetic derives itself from European and English cultures, it should be known that any attempt to blend one's own cultural heritage is largely appreciated.

My guide is just a basic introduction to Dark Academia and not a rule book. It only elucidates upon the concept of dark academia and doesn't mean to hold you back.

 However, if you feel that the aesthetic is not for you, do not be disheartened as several variations, for example, cottagecore, light academia, art academia, etc. might just be a way better fit for you.

If you intend on embracing Dark Academia as your aesthetic be sure to take up the positive aspects and distance yourself from the negative ones. 

Recommendations:

Concluding on a light-hearted note, here's a list of a few things dark academia.

Books:

Besides the Classics, the following English literature books based on the theme of Dark Academia are a 10/10 good read:

• The Secret History, Donna Tartt
• The Harry Potter Series, J.K. Rowling
• Brideshead Revisited, Evelyn Waugh
• A Lesson in Vengeance, Victoria Lee
• Never Let Me Go, Kazuo Ishiguro
• Leaves of Grass, Walt Whitman

                            

   Movies:

• Dead Poet's Society, 1989
• Wilde, 1997
• Cracks, 2009
• Kill your Darlings, 2013
• Portrait of a Lady on Fire, 2019
• Flesh and Bone, 2015

    Series:

• Sherlock
• Hannibal
• Peaky Blinders
• Hotel Del Luna
• Deadly Class
• The Queen's Gambit

                                                  Playlists:

 My boomer self does not use Spotify, so I'm linking below, some YouTube Playlists that I LOVED:

• a dark academia playlist 📜🍂🌙
  
• DARK ACADEMIA Study with Me - with music
  
• 𝐃𝐀𝐑𝐊 𝐀𝐂𝐀𝐃𝐄𝐌𝐈𝐀 𝐕𝐨𝐥. 𝐈
  
• A (Once Again) Dark Academia Playlist
  
• crying in an old library on a rainy day (dark academia)
  

If you've made it here, thank you so much for giving my first blog post a read. I hope you liked it.

Hope to see you soon.

xoxo,

Love,

Sneha.