Dark academia

Dark academia is a subculture[1] centered around higher education, writing, the arts, and classic Greek and Gothic architecture. The subculture is associated with ancient art, classic literature, and mythology. The concept gained popularity on the social media platforms TikTok and Tumblr.[2]

Gothic architecture is a common element of the dark academia aesthetic.

The increased popularity of dark academia has been credited to the shutdown of schools caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.[3]

Antecedents and cultural context

The fashion of the 1930s and 1940s features prominently in the dark academia aesthetic, especially clothing items worn by students at Oxbridge, Ivy League schools, and prep schools of that period. Some of the articles of clothing most associated with the aesthetic are cardigans, blazers, dress shirts, plaid skirts, Oxford shoes, and clothing made of houndstooth and tweed, its color palette consisting mainly of black, cold white, beige, brown, dark green, and occasionally navy blue.

Donna Tartt's novel The Secret History, published in 1992, has been credited with creating the dark academia literary genre.[4] It tells the story of a murder that takes place within a group of classics students at a New England college.

Dark academia was popularized on Instagram by Ryan Taylor and Maria Teresa Negro in 2017.[5]

Reception

Dark academia has been observed to be an affordable aesthetic to cultivate, especially in comparison to cottagecore. One writer noted that while a cottagecore lifestyle requires a home in the country and leisure time for crafting, "the simple act of putting on a blazer and reading Dostoevsky is far more doable."[6]

See also

References
  1. Bateman, Kristen (2020-06-30). "Academia Lives — on TikTok". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-02-03.
  2. Edwards, Caroline (2020-04-24). "Dark Academia is the witchy literary aesthetic sweeping TikTok". i-D. Retrieved 2020-07-15.
  3. Bateman, Kristen (2020-06-30). "Academia Lives — on TikTok". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-07-15.
  4. Garrett, Beata (2019-10-06). ""The Secret History" Makes Strides in Budding Dark Academia Genre". Mount Holyoke News. Retrieved 2020-07-15.
  5. newspaper (2020-11-05). "The Rise of Dark Academia". The INSIDER. Retrieved 2020-12-09.
  6. Jennings, Rebecca (2020-07-07). "This week in TikTok: Are you cottagecore or more "dark academia"?". Vox. Retrieved 2020-07-15.
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