Despite being published more than 30 years ago, and being Donna Tartt’s debut novel, this masterpiece still remains a bestseller and has made waves on BookTok due to its unique eerie atmosphere and set of characters.
Traveling back in time to the hallowed walls of Hampden elite liberal arts college in Vermont, we can totally see the appeal Richard saw when he dug up its brochure from his closet, seeing it as a promise for a better life, a life devoted to art and the pursuit for true beauty. The dark veil of mystery that surrounds Julian’s Greek group pulls the reader in for a unique kind of murder mystery, one where we are not looking to find the culprit but the moral and psychological degradation that led the tight-knit group to kill one of their own.
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Overall, the book’s greatest appeal is the author’s ability to capture this haunting atmosphere through expert prose and characters that transcend the page into the deepest corners of the human subconscious. From excursions to Francis’ country house, to cozy dinners in the twins’ apartment, to Henry’s secluded apartment, let’s take a deep dive into the lives of the Greek group and unravel their secret society piece by piece.
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Bookworms beware: spoilers ahead!
Contrary to the actual plot of the book, “The Secret History” isn’t about the murder of Bunny Corcoran or the life of Richard Papen. Donna Tart rather uses these plot devices to explore important themes like searching for a deeper meaning in life beyond the mundane, and the restless artistic pursuit of that which is truly pure and beautiful, sacrificing the soul in the process. In a sense, it is a love letter to Greek antiquity and mythology, touching on its allegories to showcase the inevitability of the human condition. Much like Icarus, the main characters turn themselves into modern-day philosophers, reaching for the sun, the truth, but their wings are made of wax; they are inescapably human and in an effort to escape the mundane, they become even more human. Their flaws come out in the worst ways possible, and fear grips them in an endless dance of guilt and moral decline, crashing them back into the ground.
The story begins with Richard Papen narrating how he decided to leave California and his abusive childhood home to go to Vermont, switching his major from the secure path of medicine to that of liberal arts. He knows this decision seals his fate into a life of financial uncertainty, but he feels it is the only way to escape his miserable life and search for purpose. When he arrives at Hampden College, he is immediately mystified and lured by the mysterious class of the classics professor Julian Morrow. The class is exclusive, existing in its own remote corner of the New England college, and the five students who have been selected for it have dropped out of every other class to focus solely on studying Greek antiquity. This exclusive group of college students has formed a country of their own, with their distinctive, almost occult aura pulling Richard closer like a magnet. Like the Sirens in Homer's Odyssey, they lure Richard to their small island in a mesmerized state, where he cannot recognize the danger that lies ahead.
After Richard manages to join the class, throwing all caution about his academic future to the wind, he is enchanted by Julian’s lectures about the pursuit of dark, chaotic, inexplicable beauty. “Beauty is terror. Whatever we call beautiful, we quiver before it,” the charismatic professor says, foreshadowing his students’ fates by drawing parallels to Euripides’ Maenads. Maenads were the female worshipers of the God Dionysus, and in Euripides’ play The Bacchae, they murder King Pentheus for banning them from worshiping their god. Like King Pentheus, Bunny Corcoran will later be lured into the woods by his own friends to be killed by the group in an effort to avoid answering for their crimes.
Richard starts to really get closer to the Classics students when he is invited to Francis’ country house, where the group likes to spend time relaxing and bonding. While there, he starts to notice signs that his new friends are hiding something, and an ominous secret is brewing under the surface. However, he finally feels like he has found his own tribe among them, and he is undeniably in love with Camilla, so he decides to brush his concerns off.
Over the winter break, the group of students gets separated and Richard is left behind with no place to go. A torturous ordeal begins for him, which leads to him almost dying of cold, starvation, and exhaustion, only to be saved just in time by Henry, who understands his situation and lets him stay at his apartment until he recovers. While there, he notices Francis’ apprehension toward him, while Bunny, on the other hand, has inexplicably been ousted from the group.
The suspicions keep piling up until Henry decides to let Richard in on the group’s dark secret. In an effort to transcend the mundane and seek a higher state of consciousness, the group has performed a Bacchanal, which got out of hand and led to them accidentally murdering a local farmer. They have covered up their tracks since, but Bunny, who had already been pushed aside because of his frivolous personality, knows they are guilty and is now spiraling out of control, extorting the group for money to not report them to the authorities.
After realizing Bunny cannot be kept silent anymore, the group decides to murder him and let their dark secret die with him. Even the planning of such a betrayal takes a psychological toll on the group, with Henry guiding them through it with a seemingly cold and practical composure. Henry is the leader of the group, and without his calm guidance, the group starts tearing at the seams, which becomes apparent after Bunny is dead, and each friend goes their own way, trying to escape the haunting secret that binds them.
Each of them goes through their own cycle of guilt and self-destruction, especially Charles, Camila’s twin, whose alcoholism pushes him over the edge and leads to him threatening Henry with a gun when he thinks his sister is being taken away from him. In the story’s climax, Henry unexpectedly—like a hero of a Greek tragedy in Richard’s eyes—turns the gun on himself and dies. Following Henry’s death, the group falls apart, and only Richard manages to graduate.
In the epilogue of the book, Richard is still in love with Camila, still haunted by the repercussions of Bunny’s murder, and still idolizes Henry, despite the harm he has caused. In the final scene, Henry visits Richard in a dream, showing that his impact on his psyche is still not dead.
Richard is the narrator and protagonist of the story, and can be initially misconstrued as a passive spectator who was tragically pulled into a web of deceit that led to his own ruin. He is deeply introspective and idolizes the group, which renders him an unreliable narrator. He comes from a modest background in Plano, California and transfers to Hampden College where he feels like an outsider due to his challenging financial situation. However, Richard is also hypocritical in the sense that he snobbishly criticizes other students whose identities have been formed in similar backgrounds. His greatest flaw is his longing for the picturesque, a need that constantly pushes him into situations that ultimately break his spirit and the morals he initially tries to convince everyone (himself included) he possesses.
Throughout the novel, we see his character slowly transforming from an innocent bystander who seems to just go with the flow to the ultimate villain, who suffers from guilt but refuses to repent. Since the book is narrated from his perspective, we see him implicitly passing judgment on other characters for their flaws, but then slyly adopting the same behaviors for himself. From Charles’ and Henry’s addictions to Bunny’s lack of consideration for others, to the twins’ perversions and Francis’ self-harming elusiveness, Richard is always the one highlighting their flaws without taking a moment to recognize them in himself. Overall, he is a reflection of each character and, at the same time, a combination of all of them.
Henry is the intellectual leader of the Greek class. He is highly intelligent, disciplined and reserved, with a fascination for classical literature and philosophy that ventures towards obsession. He is the glue keeping the group together, as he is both admired and feared by the others. Henry refuses to live in the modern era, keeping his face buried in books about philosophy and ancient Greek, writing his diary in Latin and denouncing any form of entertainment that seems exciting to his classmates. He appears to be a great friend to the group, but his actions throughout the book are carefully calculated to serve his own motives, and he seems to expertly manipulate his friends into blindly following his lead.
He is the only one to remain calm through tragedy and even admits to feeling no remorse after the murder, stating he even enjoyed the feeling of power it gave him. He searches for a way to break the chains of his mortal existence and ultimately manages to do that in his own way, sacrificing himself like a tragic Greek hero for what he views as a greater cause.
Bunny is charming, charismatic and sociable, often using his wit and charm to manipulate those around him. Despite his affable exterior, he is irresponsible, self-centered and prone to freeloading off his friends. In the beginning, he seems kind in welcoming Richard into the group. However, the group itself seems quite irritated by his gluttony, obnoxiousness, and offensive beliefs. He is the only friend of the group that maintains relationships with people outside of it, like his girlfriend, Marion. He comes from old money, but his family has lost their fortune. However, that doesn’t stop him from acting rich, as that is all he knows. He is an expert at reading people and getting straight to their deeper flaws and secrets, which he relentlessly uses against them for his own benefit. Bunny is the true outsider of the group, as he does not share the same idealistic goals as the others, rather preferring to focus on his own temporary enjoyment.
Francis is known for his flamboyant and sophisticated style and demeanor. He comes from a wealthy family—maintaining a rather complex relationship with his mother—and there is a sense of aristocratic flair to his style and mannerisms. He is charming, witty, and a bit eccentric. He is a gay man, and his sexuality often affects his interactions and relationships with the group. As a member of Julian’s group, Francis usually plays the role of the mediator and has a soft spot for Charles. Although the voice of reason on many occasions, he goes along with Henry’s plans and trusts that he knows best. In relation to Richard, Francis is the one who makes him realize things, and even when he doesn’t acknowledge it, he is always the one to bring some sense of clarity to the fogginess of his troubled mind.
Camilla’s twin brother, Charles, is depicted as charismatic and charming in social situations. He is well-liked by many, especially Francis, who harbors unrequited feelings for him, and Richard, who at the same time envies and admires him. Yet, deep down, Charles is a troubled soul whose impulsiveness and recklessness put him in difficult situations. His deepest flaw is his struggle with alcoholism, which recurs throughout the storyline and affects his behavior and relationships. His inner turmoil comes to a climax after Bunny’s funeral. In the aftermath, he spirals out of control and goes on a self-destructive rampage that burns all the bridges to those close to him, even his sister. His bond with his twin is strong, complex, and, at times, completely unhealthy. He views Camilla as his other half, often getting possessive and overprotective when he feels threatened. He is the first one to feel disillusioned and betrayed by Henry, and turns against him when he loses touch with his sister, the last thing he has left to lose.
The other part of the Gemini, Camilla is enigmatic and reserved but integral to the group’s dynamics. Physically, she represents classical beauty: captivating and tragic. However, she constantly denounces this role of the idealized form of beauty with her aloof attitude and humanity at times of crisis. She is highly intelligent and has a compassionate side, as she truly loves her friends. She shows her brother kindness even through his most turbulent times. Like Helen of Troy, her allure starts a war in the group, with Henry’s devotion, Richard’s infatuation, and Charles’ overprotectiveness all clashing and bringing the group to the tragic conclusion of their dark history together. Overall, in the novel’s symbolism, Camilla’s character is the perfect intersection of beauty, morality, and humanity.
Like Socrates, Julian is the idealized mentor whom his students idolize while he leads them to profound realizations. In reality, he is deeply flawed like everyone else, but in the eyes of his students, and especially Richard, it seems as if he can do no wrong. His charm and intellect blind Richard from the fact that in his effort to show them a higher level of truth, he manipulates and isolates them from the rest of the world, which eventually leads to their moral and psychological degradation. The facade of the perfect mentor crumbles even further when he learns his students conspired against Bunny, at which point he decides to keep their secret but leave them behind in a rather cowardly escape, showing his true selfish nature.
And there you have it, these are the main characters of “The Secret History”, the beating hearts in the center of this story. For a deeper analysis of these multifaceted characters, continue reading here.
The main message of The Secret History is the moral complexity of the seductive allure of beauty and knowledge. In chasing higher ideals and purpose, looking to transcend the oppressive binds of the human condition, the characters face devastating consequences, which subsequently make them even more human, vulnerable to fear, anxiety and all the afflictions that come with them. In weaving this complex tale, the author implicitly addresses the reader with questions about morality and the potentially destructive power of intellectual and aesthetic pursuits.
To go into more detail, here is the list of the main themes of the novel:
The characters lead a rather unconventional lifestyle that shapes their own ideas of morality and ethics. Although they have their own unique perspective of what is right and wrong, which can be stretched to fit their personal motives, they do feel the guilt weighing on their shoulders. When discussing and planning the murder of Bunny, Francis and Henry sound practical and nonchalant, but the outcome does, in fact, affect them on a deeper level. This is perfectly showcased at Bunny’s funeral, where they have to face the grieving family and witness the consequences of their heinous crime. After that, each character is broken by guilt in their own way, and they realize there is no coming back from what they have done.
As a whole, the group is isolated from the rest of the college and the world, which leads to them slowly losing grip on reality and what is justified or not. As tight-knit as the group is, though, they are not unbreakable, and that becomes obvious by how easy it is for one of them to feel like an outsider. Richard is the outsider because of his financial situation, Bunny because of his frivolous nature, Francis because of his sexuality, which Bunny ruthlessly uses against him, Charles and Camilla because of the special nature of the bond, which they feel the others wouldn’t understand. Even within this special bond, Charles later feels isolated from his sister, and Henry chooses his own isolation in facing the darkest side of his personality. Furthermore, all of them make compromising and ambiguous decisions to maintain the feeling of belonging and acceptance in the group.
The pursuit of idealized beauty leads to the descent into terror. This is foreshadowed in Julian’s lecture and corroborated in the Bacchanal. Camilla’s influence on others is the representation of beauty and terror coexisting inevitably. This juxtaposition plays into multiple pivotal moments in the plot, even in Henry and Richard’s conversation in the garden. To Henry, beauty is related to order, and Bunny’s murder fits into this order as it was the only logical solution. Richard tries to deny this feeling, but deep down, he understands what Henry means.
The novel explores the seductive power of intellectualism. The students are drawn to beauty and mystery, but their obsession leads them down a dangerous path. This raises questions about how the pursuit of knowledge can lead someone to moral corruption and even utter destruction.
The Secret History is a great read for bookworms who enjoy Dark Academia and a clever twist on mythical symbolism. Donna Tartt’s prose is excellent at setting the scene, fleshing out the characters, and breathing life into their actions. The novel's deeper philosophical themes make it unique and challenge the reader to draw their own conclusions and ponder beyond the characters.
The novel ends with Richard letting us know Henry is dead, but his influence on the group still lingers. Richard is the only one who graduated, and the students have lost touch with each other. A letter from Francis saying his final goodbye alarms Richard, who goes to visit him and finds him in the hospital recovering from a suicide attempt. Francis is engaged to a woman. He could not take the pressure after his family discovered his secret affair with a man. When Camilla arrives, Richard finally confesses his true feelings to her, to which she replies that she still loves Henry. In the final scene, Richard has a dream about Henry, in which he informs him he’s not dead but simply having trouble with his passport.
In the final scene of The Secret History, Richard’s dream about Henry reflects the impact his influence has left on his soul. To him, Henry is not dead, and neither is the dark secret they shared. Like ghosts of his past, they will both haunt him forever.
We hope you’ve enjoyed this breakdown of the dark and mysterious world of Donna Tartt’s “The Secret History.” For more “The Secret History” content, don’t forget to dive into our world!
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Eirini is a passionate book nerd with a keen penchant for the whimsical and the witty. She holds a degree in English Literature - because what's better than reading books for homework? - and delights in dissecting the subtleties of storytelling. When it comes to fiction analysis, she is determined to turn every stone and go through every theory of the stories that excite her. Known for her playful approach and keen observations, her contribution offers readers a delightful exploration of literary themes that resonate with enthusiasts and casual readers alike.
