Did Someone Say Dark Academia? - What Actually Is It?

[@47chelseagirl]

As a middle-aged English professor living in an apartment lined with bookshelves and full of old wood furniture -- I'm delighted to hear this is a trend!

[@hakira2725]

Wait, so you're not a girl living in 1947 that is a fan of chelsea fc?

[@ollie3258]

i, an 18 year old, need you to know that has always been my life's goal. i hope you are doing well

[@47chelseagirl]

@@ollie3258 a good goal!

[@0MissNemo0]

Then start an Instagram about you apartment and daily routines with the DarkAcademia hashtag and watch it go wild

[@talkingtoawall5123]

Sir/Ma'am i hope you know your apartment is literally my dream house. Have a nice day!

[@larisa138]

“In simple terms dark academia is young people trying to dress like old people” I cackled bc it’s TRUEEE

[@hauntedpumpkin5851]

Larisa Kupinszky I read your comment as he said it 🧿👄🧿

[@mchjsosde]

Who said we had to stop playing dress up? 🤔😂

[@inregionecaecorum]

I am old, it is kind of wierd that a couple of years back, when I was giving an academic presentation as you do, some young puppy suggested that they ought to cosplay me, tweeds and all.

[@elizabethgardner6832]

This is so funny because there are a lot of old people (aka baby boomers) trying to dress like young people or at least as if they were still young. Consequently, young people dressing like old people is almost a form of rebellion.

[@rini9325]

@kshiftkometh dude chill

[@princessdelfi]

dark academia is the romanticization of learning and I love it

[@adilabadri1608]

This comment is what I’ve been trying to explain to myself for months but in words. Thank you so much!!! You have no idea how quiet my head is now after reading this.

[@saragarofano9727]

What about light academia

[@winter-wb7cf]

Sara Garofano light academia is a part of dark academia so same concept just more optimistic, positive, and generally lighter colors.

[@aliceastoria733]

True

[@dianagonzalezbejar1343]

Sara Garofano same concept, different aesthetic

[@freebeerishere]

fun fact: u don’t need to read the secret history and the picture of dorian gray to join dark academia kids

[@padfootparrish4539]

it just gives you some bonus points

[@ouioui2319]

DUUUUUH I HATE WHEN SOMEONE MENTIONS THAT LIKE WHY AREN'T YOU TALKING ABOUT RUSSIAN LITERATURE??????? OR JANE AUSTEN????? WHAAT

[@saposapo9842]

JAJAJA you are late. It looks like my teacher wants me to be a dark academia fanatic 'couse she's making me read the picture of dorian gray and i'm loving it :)

[@Realisticallyliteral]

Fun fact I coincidentally finished The picture of Dorian Gray a day before joining a dark academia discord server.

[@noctlosis]

I can't like... The number..

[@Awall79]

So I just found out that the way I dressed in college 20 years ago as a history student is now an aesthetic...huh.

[@Awall79]

@J. R. Also, ancient greek plays...thats what I call entertainment.

[@andrewrobinson4019]

“Dark Academia is *not* a cult”. Me: *slowly lowers the hood of my tweed robes* ...oh...

[@dp9828]

😂😂

[@meandmybobbygee1812]

Tweed cult hood 😭

[@meri528]

lol this actually made me lol

[@Jasminekuwonu]

💀

[@celisce]

That’s so cute, Andrew! ʕ´• ᴥ•̥`ʔ

[@freebeerishere]

thank you for talking about “finding your own dark academia” kind of thing. it’s a shame many (such as myself) fall into this trap of dark academia being limited to literature. it can be about science, maths, music and for me it’s art and history.

[@RCWaldun]

Well put :)

[@zarax5029]

It's kinda ironic because I think art and history fit into the stereotypical 'dark academia' theme along with literature way better than maths/sciences.

[@freebeerishere]

Zara X oh definitely! regardless literature still is the big one. i think it also depends on which part of history

[@roshn.i]

@@zarax5029 nah. Dark academia fits most theoretical academia.

[@malakghalb8280]

for me its the tragic novels

[@b.siddique7662]

Do you narrate audio books? If not please do.

[@vitoriasanaperez5055]

i'm getting more "if you or a loved one has been diagnosed"/general 4am infomercial vibes but yes such a good voice

[@garimagaur24]

I was about to comment the same thing.

[@tinakoernermashood6422]

I am incredibly sorry to say this but your voice makes me imagine tweed jackets, a pipe, a beard and Sean Connery. And then I saw a nerdy looking Asian - my mind is baffled but well...please consider a career in reading audiobooks

[@Beeetlejjug]

I could fall in love if he read audio books

[@korviscapetrova5269]

I second that

[@rafaella2952]

I was into dark academia without even know it.

[@nightmarehalloween1207]

Me too 😂😂

[@khushbookhatri9894]

+1

[@justme7410]

Sameee

[@mmmmoon5709]

Same

[@YueshiYang]

Sameeeee

[@gloriawoosiuk8500]

It's 1AM and I happened to find myself exactly where I'm supposed to be.

[@lucydiamond1595]

*i thought i was the only one thank god*

[@veroniquevancapelleveen8742]

Mooooood

[@donnyfebles]

Same

[@shivangichoudhary2604]

Same, it's 1:10 am

[@dynamite3815]

It's exactly 1 am for me now loll

[@sergiovela7686]

Dark academia is just ravenclaws trying to be fashionable It's me, I'm ravenclaws

[@jauniiwolf9349]

& children of Athena (I’m Slytherin)

[@merlinscorner4670]

It’s all the edgy ravenclaws and academic slytherins 😂

[@lasagna626]

@@merlinscorner4670 idk I'm Gryffindor but I'm DA

[@emmawilliams1603]

im a Hufflepuff tho

[@kaktus2076]

@@emmawilliams1603 me too lol

[@RebNegru]

It’s like being EMO, but smart one.

[@dynamite3815]

😂😂😭😭

[@ryanrenn4815]

being emo but for the burned-out "gifted" kids that clung to their status as "the smart one" because they thought it was their only redeeming quality

[@jauniiwolf9349]

If I were smart I’d be the dark academia

[@youraveragemusicperson2176]

Dann, I thought I grew out of my emo phase- oh well

[@RebNegru]

Your Average Music Person :))

[@FatherBroseph]

You don't look like how your voice sounds

[@sillybug7831]

I thought so too when I first heard his voice haha

[@charlottedurham4954]

I jumped when he started talking. but don't worry you have a handsome voice sir

[@penelopebunce]

I thought he would have a British accent lol

[@phantasmagore7991]

idk why but he reminded me of taliesin jaffe at first

[@nehakiran525]

ikr

[@reneeamani6756]

To me, dark academia is much more than just dressing preppy and decorating your room, it's about your love for learning. It's about having a passion for your subject of interest & being devoted to opening your eyes to the endless possibilities of things in the world. And your passion doesn't have to be literature. I think that's where some individuals feel a little stuck. Your passion could be about absolutely anything. As long as you enjoy it. Learning comes in so many different shapes and sizes. It also doesn't mean working on something 24 hours a day, 7 days a week without indulging in anything else. You could spend time learning about something twice a week And still be considered "dark academia." As long as you enjoy what you're learning. Of course not everyone has to be like this. I'm just talking from personal experience. My love for learning started from a very young age. I was particularly drawn to reading, writing and the performing arts as well as music. As I grew older, especially as i moved on to secondary school, I fell in love with singing and joined the school choir. My favourite classes were English literature, performing arts and history. I mostly loved learning about medieval England. I think that's where my "dark academia" kicked in, aha. I only found out that it was classed as an aesthetic recently though. However I seem to have adopted a similar aesthetic anyway. I'm quite fond of it; I enjoy pretending I'm not from the 21st Century sometimes lmao. Love your video, by the way. ✨

[@RCWaldun]

Renee Amani Too good! I’m also a big sucker for theatre. Who’s your favourite playwright?

[@edanurguzel58]

Girl i totally agree with you. You explained it so well 👏🏻

[@lelaticia4250]

this sounds so much like being a Ravenclaw and i love it

[@OmgitsNeens]

I totally agree. I was always drawn to the classic humanities; art, literature, languages and history. Maybe there was romantic notion of the aesthetic part of it in somewhere in my subconscious, but it really felt more of just a passion and something stemming from deep curiosity and passion. There is nothing wrong with being more hyper aware of the physical accouterments of these things, but I think people should use it as an opportunity to spark curiosity and learn. It makes the whole romance of it so much deeper and meaningful. I'm glad you and the maker of this video pointed this out.

[@891delta]

How's that different from regular academia?

[@maia3281]

gays its dark academia in autumn cottagecore in spring italian summer in summer and vintage on winter now all of the four aesthetics of the gays are organized

[@cynthj]

Reading this as a straight person: "Check, check, check, aaand check.... Huh."

[@naz4488]

I don't know why i thought of atla

[@naz4488]

But you're right

[@RunaSunset]

but everything changed when the dark academia attacked

[@taylormsolis]

ah yes the four elements

[@styleandthecity365]

Dead Poets Society introduced me to dark academia and it's been interesting exploring the aesthetic

[@francescakyanda9182]

Yo same

[@prepperjonpnw6482]

I love Dead Poets Society. All these years I’ve been dark academia and didn’t know it lol

[@kev9385]

@@prepperjonpnw6482 same

[@elizaindisguise]

apparently ive subconsciously been adhering to the dark academia aesthetic this is fascinating. i bought the secret history years ago at a secondhand bookstore, im genuinely am so passionate in shakespeare and theatre, and i just liked the fashion associated with dark academia before even knowing what it was lol. im a dark academia noob (like legit i heard about it yesterday) but i find it so interesting that there's a name to the kind of person i kinda am. great video! i love your voice btw i would 100% listen to an audiobook read by you

[@soggytoez3057]

eliza aguhar I’m in the exact same situation

[@fozzyandsteve7188]

OH definitely read if we were villains, same vibe as The secret history but it's shakespeare instead of greek

[@elizaindisguise]

Ciara and Steve thank you!!! i will check it out, it’s sounds right up my alley :)

[@ever5745]

Ikr me too lol, I always followed the trends of the aesthetic boy or whatever was trendy, but this is the one that is actually me. I have so many lives of 1920 fashion and I am sucker for ancient mythology and languages. I love art and instrumental music.

[@an5683]

I loved the aesthetic of Remus Lupin so much back in high school, now I'm into dark academia:)

[@witchbitchgirl]

Lmao I was so in love with him back in high school, it explains my current dark academia obsession 😅😄 Edit: grammar

[@annjay2581]

5 years ago people made fun of me in school and now my lifestyle is an aesthetic on tik tok, what a time to be alive...

[@kie5850]

you're cute.

[@nahra3153]

Stop flirting with my bf Wtf

[@TheTakitoloko]

He really is. Maybe I’m thirst following 🤭🤭🤭

[@matthewbarnes7650]

I saw him first, I'll destroy all three of you.

[@nahra3153]

@@matthewbarnes7650 if you don't stfu 😂😂😂

[@matthewbarnes7650]

@@nahra3153 wut? Wut? WUT???

[@M7YYQ]

My dark academia aesthetic is quite Soviet - esque, in the sense that I have literally no interest in classic literature, and despise fiction, Shakespeare, old art, poetry etc, but I'm a slut for 1900s political, military and soviet history, and atomic energy. I've always wanted to be a 1940s pioneer of nuclear science, working on the Manhattan project in overcoats and brogues and baggy shirts, or a ww2 era politician, or a Soviet analogue photographer or videographer. Im guilty of trying to force myself to read classic literature to fit the mould of being 'true' dark academia, but I'm so much happier pouring over books about Dunkirk or the battle of the Atlantic, sat in my dark room developing photographs, learning Russian, or watching Bernie Sanders speeches on KZbin. My own take dark academia is a bit odd, but I adore it.

[@ellay4295]

Dark academia is about studying and loving it, so you don't have to force yourself doing something that you don't want to do just to "fit in", study what you want and keep loving it ❣️. Sorry if i said something wrong, english isn't my first language

[@connie6738]

yess i am SO here for different topics in Dark Academia! It’s academia, not literature specifically. Personally I am the textbook Dark Academic, I study classics, history and literature intensely, but I love that it can expand to anyone’s passions! It’s about pouring yourself into your academic passions, and if yours is more politics and science thats so cool!

[@ouioui2319]

Я учусь русский язык : )

[@MaryJane-k7x]

Wow! Это прекрасно! Удачи!

[@marcinexus]

I love this!

[@treri3082]

The problem for me with dark academia is that I'm polish. I love mitology, I love philosophy, I also love literature. But when it comes to classical stuff like Sheakspire- it's not for me. I remember I was so dissapointed with "Romeo and Juliet", maybe becouse of the translation, but it didn't seem romantic to me at all. I prefer polish authors like Adam Mickiewicz, Stefan Żeromski, Sławomir Mrożek, Ignacy Krasicki - those are my countrie's classics. I also can't enjoy all the quotes, I will probably never be able to understand them like a naitive.

[@axolotlhappy2340]

yess a lot of literature talk is so english centered which makes sense since we’re all communicating in english but there are a lot more foreign classics that deserve more attention!

[@WoodlandPoetry]

I think your Polish background gives you an edge up. No one looks down on people who enjoy Proust or Tolstoy or Dostoevsky. And all of those are in translation. Some of us can read them in the original language and some of us can't. There is so much wonderful, deep literature, and I think it's great that you can contribute your heritage and taste to it!

[@laurelledesma8026]

I know this isn’t the point of your comment, but a professor once told me that “Romeo and Juliet can be seen as political/social commentary dressed up as a romance, whereas Macbeth can be seen as a love story dressed up as political commentary.” and honestly that makes a lot more sense in my opinion.

[@mariona713]

@@laurelledesma8026 this is so accurate honestly. Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy, not a romance to me. You're not meant to think they have a magical, true love. you're meant to think they're teenagers who are foolish and dream of a world without war and discourse. Its an odd one, but has its great moments.

[@gmikaleesangmibbvip]

Adam is not polish. He is lithuanian author.

[@juhbev]

'Dark Academia' is like a Hogwarts student's lifestyle, but more romantic.

[@davidkonevky7372]

It's like hogwarts but combine it with greek history, tea/coffee, and no magic

[@shietzshiel]

I don't think dark academia is needed to be related to romance It's just about wandering different topics really deeply.

[@juhbev]

@@davidkonevky7372 yess

[@juhbev]

@@shietzshiel you're right :)

[@phant0m0th_]

Dark Academia themed movies/shows: 1. Tolkein 2. Dead Poets Society 3. Little Women 4. Pride and Prejudice 5. Dorian Gray 6. The Magicians 7. Black Swan 8. Portrait of the Lady on Fire 9. The Kingsmen 10. Good Will Hunting 11. Penny Dreadful 12. Maurice 13. Wilde 14. Little Dorrit 15. Kill Your Darlings 16. School Ties I'm sure there are more but I cannot think of them. A lot of people think aesthetics and dark Academia came out of tiktok but it has been a thing for a long time....especially in the LGBT community and a lot of it showed up on Tumblr back in 2010/2011 (maybe even before). If anyone has a list of movies that aren't American or European lmk 🤗🤗

[@whatspoppin11326]

Also add on: Enola Holmes evokes a wonderfully subtle dark academia/cottage core vibe so I just thought I’d share

[@roshn.i]

If you're Indian, Pakistani etc or interested in Urdu poetry and South Asian literature: >Manto >A Suitable Boy >Masaan > Charulata/Gonoshotru have great poc dark academia aesthetics, theres a ton more but I can't really remember at the moment

[@miranda4583]

Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights Anything Edgar Allen Poe

[@MyRocky1976]

The Secret History by Donna Tart

[@airahfuji]

The Imitation Game

[@diydemiurge7818]

People criticize dark academia for “romanticizing substance abuse and murder” but that’s where the “dark” comes from. Dark academia is first and foremost a genre of fiction, the darkness comes from what the characters do, and it is almost always there as a vehicle to criticize problems in academic settings. In what is essentially the dark academia bible, the Secret History, all of the stuff that goes down (not to spoil anything) is all due to the characters’ own elitism and obsession with adhering to the values of their studies. In almost every movie or book that falls into the genre, the condemnable action is not there to romanticize murder or suicide or substance abuse, but to show the need for change in academic settings. (Dead Poets Society is also a really good example of this).

[@sendhelp7293]

this. THIS. FACTS.

[@davidkonevky7372]

Dead Poets Society is so good

[@manu.9041]

all this time i didn't knew my style had a name

[@thethoughtballoons]

I also didn't know about this term. I thought I am just into old stuff because I'm old.

[@beautyinthemoonlight4331]

@@thethoughtballoons 😂 sorry i found this kinda funny.

[@justinward3218]

Seems to be a common thread. I was thinking the same thing!

[@p.alteregotate9639]

Same!

[@p.alteregotate9639]

Same!

[@amira1797]

I really love dark academia. I used to feel weird for loving classics back when I was surrounded by YA readers and DA was still not a thing. I feel less weird now. The online community is encouraging though sometimes it's a bit too focused on looks and the aesthetic™. I first thought DA was about The secret history but when I got into it more I found it more inclusive. DA got me into a few thing like mythology which I absolutely adore now.

[@shreeeeeeeeeeeeee]

I just found out about Dark Academia a few hours back, and I believe I have found my place.

[@khushbookhatri9894]

+1

[@catercoz2491]

If it means I can leave piles of books around and buy more and more, I am in!

[@victorugo3875]

Yesss

[@toot5272]

Same ✨

[@hyaennaa6576]

People call it “dark academia” I call it “my mother’s wardrobe and my father’s brain had sex.”

[@lorinpeters3697]

Y e s

[@irina9339]

kinda sexist thing to say

[@anahita974]

Both my parents’ brains and my always dressing sense

[@ahmadfarhan1460]

@Taravery good question indeed!

[@abuboutere1208]

@@irina9339 how is that sexist?

[@racoon_in_ankhmorpork]

I see dark academia as a love of knowledge, of learning. I actually do study both ancient greek and latin (even though I’m leaving greek next year), but that is just not what it’s about. I think I also kind of subconsciously connect it to being a Ravenclaw, but, again, it’s just scratching the surface of dark academia. The reason I fell in love with the aesthetic was... well, how it looks. I love the style, I’d love to go to an old university with amazing architecture, and I’d love to live in an old house with old furniture and have old books. But I also have a love of learning, which is what I reckon it’s all about, in actuality. I love philosophy and psychology, I absolutely adore reading and writing, and one of my goals in life is to be seen as wise. If you don’t like any of the things I listed, that’s okay. You might love some subject, and just the passion of that is enough. You might only like how the clothing style looks, and that’s okay too. And if you want to adhere to the dark academia aesthetic, but find out that it isn’t for you, that’s alright too! You might find another aesthetic that suits your life and personality better, or maybe you don’t. Maybe you don’t find an aesthetic, and in that case you can make your own, and please be proud of that. Alternatively, you might love many aesthetics, even completely different from each other, deciding to adhere to one as long as you feel like it before passing on to the next one. Who we are is fluid, it doesn’t have to (and frankly if it does, that’s just luck) fit into one box. The only box you should fit in entirely is the box labeled “you”, because, in my opinion, as long as you’re the one doing it, it’s within your box. No matter how different than usual, no matter how big a change you just made. It’ll still be you, just in another time period.

[@mysaria7641]

loved this

[@autumnsankofa1307]

Have you been looking into my mind? I thought I was the only one who thought like this. I even said to not think outside the box, but rather think within your own box. Wow! Great minds think alike. 😂

[@booksxandxlace]

I’ve just found dark academia and wow do I wanna adopt the style. When I was younger I loved to read, but I guess as I’ve grown older and gone to college (I’ll be a senior in the fall) I just don’t read as much. I hope this encourages me to pick it back up, and also other things like writing stories or poetry and painting.

[@macedominguez4446]

I love how its an aesthetic around learning, but everyone should know that all kinds of studies are good enough. Im not big on poetry ot theatre but I LOVE anatomy and old studies of the human body, especially the ones from the Enlightment. The aesthetic should just be a way of making your studies more “good looking”, if that makes any sense. Just find something you love and go deep in it.

[@levisalvador462]

I never realized this but I had a similar experience with kingsman! I saw that movie and I was like damn I wanna be a spy so I can look fancy all the time... and then I was like, huh maybe I just wanna wear more suits. And now I do.

[@cosmic3045]

Kingsman is one of my favourite movies, we should try being spies together lol

[@anisseezra68]

oh my god I LOVED kingsman!

[@beyondthewoodlands]

i never even knew what dark academia was but I've always liked the aesthetic and the literature associated w it but never knew what to call it so I just called it brown-old-book-school aesthetic

[@achilleus9918]

The thing with "dark academia" is that it's like most of the aesthetics/cultures/styles that people around my age (22) are into: it's not a subculture in the same way punk, goth etc were, it's about *aesthetics*, that is it's about appearances, and it's an inherently escapist thing. I don't say that to deningrate dark academia (or cottagecore, or any of the other -cores) - I really enjoy it, personally, having already been into a lot of the core literary and filmic influences (like you I'm a big fan of Antigone, I taught myself classics at A Level because my school didn't do it, I'm about to an MPhil in literature) and happening to like the aesthetics too and finding out there's now a word for it - ie, a way to find blogs posting the photos that I like the look of and people who enjoy some of the same stuff. In contrast, punk was about music and politics - the two things were heavily influenced by each other - and goth (and later emo) was an offshoot from that. If you were into goth or punk, you were into specific music and liked to do specific things, and likely adhered to a rough set of ethical and political principles. It was reacting to the world as it was: punks fought against fascism, against bigotry of all sorts. There were things you DID - went to shows, made your own clothes to avoid consumerism, probably spray-painted something to protest the government. You were a punk because you didn't like the way things were, and wanted to change that. In contrast, part of what appeals to me about dark academia and cottagecore, which I think is true for a lot of people, is the idea of escaping into historical and literary worlds. I want to pretend I'm Dorian Gray, or Henry Winter, or whoever - not because I in any way condone their behaviour (and yes, I'm aware TSH is a satire!), but because I want to escape the world I live in. With the state of both UK (where I live) and US politics, and the general cultural zeitgeist (eg rising transphobia in the UK, which particularly effects me as a trans person), is it any wonder? Importantly, though, we still have punk and other subcultures that *do* fight against oppressive systems, it's just that for a lot of us we don't have the energy left to fight, or it doesn't feel worth it. You can be into both the subcultures (punk, goth, etc) and the aesthetics (DA, the -cores), but the former are about fighting the system and the latter are about hiding from it. There are a few smaller subcultures growing, such as solarpunk (which as a literary/artistic movement is about imagining a green utopia and as an aesthetics plays with how that could look, but involves real world action too like creating co-operatives, DIY, etc) - but these are few and far between, and generally stay underground. Sorry for basically writing an essay in the comments! These are just things I've been thinking about lately.

[@gio-ve7vn]

Don't apologize, this was fascinating to read! I've only just begun defining myself and my style and stumbled upon Dark Academia. I thought it was just a Pinterest thing, really - something limited pictures and posts. I hadn't realized that people try to embody the aesthetic in everyday life. I agree that many of these aesthetics are a form of escapism - which isn't necessarily bad but as you say, it does nothing to change the status quo and increase consumerism. I've always loved vintage and old things and in my search for a personal style, I've found that going vintage is a much more sustainable choice. Solar-punk reminds me of a movement to live a "carbon-neutral" or "low carbon emission" lifestyle. It's tangential to going vintage in that the goal is a more sustainable lifestyle with low consumerism. There is definitely an aesthetic that goes along with it as well (think modern minimalism, farmhouse look, and glass mason jars) but like punk, there's a call to action with "rules" to minimize consumption and your carbon footprint. Recently, I've been thinking of ways to combine my love of old things and history with this sustainable and more self-sufficient lifestyle. excuse the ramblings, its 3am and I really should be sleeping

[@RCWaldun]

Achilleus glad to know I’m not the only one taking long walks in the woods thinking that I’m Wordsworth. :)

[@laurabinzer4620]

I agree with you to some extent but I also think a big part of dark academia is about educating yourself and wanting to learn about and understand the world around you- at least to me - and I think that comes with being aware of the political environment and seeing that there is a need to change certain things in our society.

[@achilleus9918]

@@laurabinzer4620 I wouldn't say it's NOT about that, but there's a reason it's an 'aesthetic' rather than a lifestyle or subculture. You can have the look without actually wanting to learn anything new - you can't be a punk without the left-wing politics because the politics are what the music is founded on and it informs the style inherently. Honestly, I see dark academia as more of either a fashion style or a name for films/books/etc set in schools/universities and exploring certain themes. I would never describe myself as a 'dark academic' the way someone would call themself a punk/goth/etc. It just makes no sense. (Especially since 'academic' refers to a job, that is university lecturing and research, and it has nothing to do with the romantic 'dark academia' thing.)

[@hieninh6523]

I want to hear more of your analysis. You should do video essay

[@zeeschelp]

I just discovered you and definitely will watch more. 4:08 - 4:20 I have many interests and always found it a curse because I'm not exceptionally good at anything. This is what i needed to hear. I'm going to think about this

[@angelamwho]

Dark academia is probably one of my favorite "trends" because all of the things friends used to make fun of me for are now considered "cool". I've always loved writing and reading so dark academia, to me at least, really exemplifies a passion for self-discovery through the pursuit of knowledge/learning. And while I love literature (in my final year of my BA in literature before going into graduate school for it next fall), I do think that dark academia really encompasses passion for any subject. I think literature and the classics are always cited in people's definition of what is dark academia because a lot of examples of dark academia can be found in those subjects more easily than others but I mean, in the novel "Phantom of the Opera", I would say that the Phantom's musical obsession with opera (not his creepy obsession with a woman decades younger than him) is similar to how I've always thought of dark academia. I do appreciate that dark academia as a trend has enabled people to see that academia isn't such a bad thing, if that makes sense. From my experience, more and more people I know have really come to understand why I'm so passionate about what I study and what I write about. Anyways, this was a really nice video! You spoke about the kinds of things you had been studying during the spring and it sounded super familiar to what I had studied early on in my undergrad, so I was wondering if you were in school for Literature or for History?

[@CherryDeluxe]

This is the most concise video I've seen yet on Dark Academia. It's such a vague concept when you start to dig at the aesthetic top-layer, but you did a great job of going past the aesthetic and getting to the core of what it's about :)

[@LizzyAlexis]

Aesthetics have become such trends now a days that people seem to adopt a certain aesthetic out of pure popularity rather than just being themselves.

[@sohhyunmin]

as someone who actually went to one of these schools wt secret societies but never got close to any of them cause im a friendless lame loser.. yeah.. ive been curious about this topic for a while lol

[@tillyh1368]

what country did u go to school in? thats rlly cool

[@sheena5006]

yea i’m having problems finding my aesthetic and i think i finally found it.

[@missinkolita1]

Quarentine is the time to go out of character so I suggest you do an outfits of the week/lookbook video!! Also, great video this one I've sent it to my friends hahaha Take care!

[@RCWaldun]

missinkolita1 that’s actually not a bad idea. Thanks :)

[@luhsea]

I just discovered your channel a couple of weeks back (brilliant content by the way) at about the same time I also first heard the term 'dark academia', so it was funny to see this video pop up!

[@sandrarivera1262]

I've been an English and Mythology student for many years now. I love learning about so many stories and learning for the sake of it. Recently, I found this aesthetic and it makes me very happy to know that young adults are appreciating this subculture and wanting to embrace learning. As someone who already wears these clothes (although I feel more late 1800 muckrakers haha) or reads these book genres that fit the "aesthetic", I only hope that others realize it's more than just a fashion statement or fad :)

[@simpdestructor]

Before this were "trend" I related this aesthetic with Harry Potter 😂

[@antonellasvlogs7347]

I am from Argentina, and from a very young age I became interested in art, I drew and wrote, then as I grew up I became interested in social concepts, such as history and anthropology, etc. At the end of last year I entered this world, where it gave me the freedom to find my passion to express and share my learning about art and the social concepts that. In addition to my love for American (I love English) and European culture. I LOVING YOUR VIDEOS!!

[@korinnab.2318]

I remember getting into dark academia in 2016 and there was almost no content about it outide of tumblr, but it's really blown up even within the last year

[@hermionegranger2585]

This is the very first video of dark academia that i come across ,just because i wanted to find motivation to study and apparently the whole theme helps me. However by the end of this video i received another message that i needed to hear , be true to yourself, do your thing, whatever it is that you love and the rest will follow. No need to stress about how things are going to evolve. It made me feel so happy, as an overthinker that i am!

[@smo__flor6568]

I fell in love with the images and the Victorian buildings, I’ve always had a fascination with victorian architecture and day dream about it a bit too much... I then found out about dark Academia a few days ago and decided “that, that’s what I’ve been searching for.” I’m really interested in learning new things but always struggle with motivation and hope dark Academia will help tbh.

[@princess6271]

You said it all. This video actually applies to all types of aesthetics (of course adjustably), you depicted the human/aesthetic relationship with an interesting emphasis on the proper order of priorities (it being a part of the self expression and not the core of the self). I like it, you seem to be a quite mature person. Good luck with your academics. (:

[@apricosi8083]

I think it's really interesting how the dark academia aesthetic became more and more widespread through the media, especially through Tiktok as I see it. Of couse this could just be my pesonal algorithm, but only through tiktok, tumblr and instagram have i even learned that the aesthetic that i have already pursued for quite some time has a name and a larger community. With me, the whole thing also has begun with a passion for learning; i've always loved to read and read everything i could get my hands on from an early age on. Then there was my love for history, classical music and languages; I had the entirety of world histoy memorized by the time I even had my first history lesson in school; I played the violin and got singing lessons from early on; read English literature (I'm German, so English is my second language), learned French at home, because I wasn't able to do it in school (in Germany you first get to choose between Latin and French, and if you choose Latin, like I did, you really don't get another opportunity to learn French), then got into astrophysics after I fully lost my joy in history. And that's where the error stuck. You see, I loved learning history on my own time, but as soon as I got it in school (and one can imagine how much I looked forward to these lessons) it really was hell. My teacher invalidated all my knowledge of the subject; after all I was just a kid and he was the teacher, making him smart and me dumb; he brushed off my interest by saying I would discriminate the others that didn't share my passion, and gave me bad grades because he thought I was arrogant and annoying, which lead to me never again speaking in his class and casting all my previously oh so loved books in a far away corner of my room and not looking at them for quite some time. And that is the poblem with school, you get to do stuff that you love, but you have to do it in a manner that completely takes the fun out of it; every ounce of passion is ignored because "it's not fair for the others" or "you're just a kid". Of course not every teacher is the same; I had teachers which inspired me to no end; hell, without my fifth grade German teacher I would never have picked up writing; in tenth grade I had a history teacher that was the sole reason that I refound my love for the subject; the same teacher finally acknowledged that me learning french wasn't just an overambitious mother making her daughter learn french, so that she would be special, but my own will, and helped me being able to join my classes French lessons, so that I even chose it as an advanced course one year later. But what I am saying is, that there is a huge error in the school system (of course I can only talk for Germany but I guess that there are similar poblems in other countries), that is created by the need for absolute unit performance and the lack of opportunities for people who actually want to learn, leaving that to them in their free time, which is unfortunately needed to do more school work, in order to achieve the required grades. That wouldn't be too bad if one could at least choose how one learns the required subject matter, but even here there are uniform methods, which of course don't work for everybody, leaving one with an absolute joyless form of learning, the necessity to work and function like everybody else, the need for good grades and maybe only an ounce of time on ones own hands. Only now, after graduating and studying at an university I really refound my joy in learning and am happier than ever. I learned dutch as my fifth language, am currently taking courses in ancient Greek and Latin and will pursue my study of archaeology next semester. And even though I have tons of stuff on my hands, it doesn't feel like a burden because I love all these things with such a huge passion and am free to decide what and where and how I want to learn. Okayy, that was quite a rant... :o I'm sorry if there are any errors, and thank you if you read the whole thing :D It's just something I'm really angry and passionate about, because I'm sure that there are always kids that have similar problems and there isn't really a discussion about the matter. Maybe that's also why I like to escape into fantasies of being a 20th centuries professor, an egyptologist in the 1920s or a beat poet, haha. For me the fashion and the aesthetic is really a means to an end to embody that kind of thinking and living not just through your actions but also through your look. And it's kind of nice to have a name for it, even if one really shouldn't approach the matter only from the outside, meaning from the name and fashion, but from the inside like you said. Okay, now I think I finally said everything I had to say about the matter. Thank you for the video and for reading my jabbering. :D

[@RCWaldun]

Heaven Anderson loved the jabbering. Do I have to grade it?

[@haeyba]

💗🌙

[@aniomi4096]

You didn't have to pick another language after starting with Latin? I really hated French (well more the teachers at our school) but had to take up another language in grade 8 so I chose ancient Greek in an effort to avoid French and it went over more or less well. But if I had the opportunity I would definitely have chosen not to take another language and focus on English and Latin so I at least learn both of them properly

[@liabrooks3931]

I get this. My family has never been into reading/learning/languages and I always feel like the odd one out. I wish I had friends like you!

[@frostkiss2]

What a delight to listen to your video, thank you! :) I never knew that I basically was Dark Academia my whole life. I was just that one nerdy, vintage girl in every group that obsessively studied something (anything, that got my interest and didn't let me go until I knew everything about it). Now that I know of this aesthetic, I just need to google it and will get all kinds of recommendations that fit my tastes, I LOVE IT.

[@littlejarofhopes]

I needed this video! I sometimes feel obliged to fit into a certain aesthetic and that ruins the whole experience... Great video, keep it up!

[@Roland14d]

Thanks for the explanation. My neighbor kid was going on about Dark Academia, how it's a new thing and all. Then I pulled out my dog-eared "Young Fogey's Guidebook" from the 1980s. Mostly the same stuff. ("It's not the same thing!" she says) I gave her my sweaters and tweed sports jacket I haven't worn since the 1990s. Nice to see the old stuff getting a new life. Good thing my suit is too big for her. I'd be left wearing a barrel!

[@agostinamartinez3256]

I really loved the whole concept of dark academia but i have also seen 'light academia' on twitter the other day, what is it?

[@connie6738]

Ag0s Pretty much just a lighter version of academia, less murder, more cottagecore

[@niyakasibhotla6766]

Wonderful video! I definitely agree that dark academia should be an umbrella term that encompasses more fields of study. I also think that it could benefit from drawing more inspiration from other parts of the world, since it’s primarily comprised of European scholarship and aesthetics!

[@Vicky-fl7pv]

I didn't know such thing existed.......but I have always loved the aesthetics you mentioned...and I searched a lil bit and realised I have always been a dark academia person without knowing it...I just want to look like a renaissance person or a scholarly person......but again as you said it's just a add on . knowledge is more important than clothing....I am currently learning drawing and sculpting on my own and 4 languages simultaneously....

[@karinamelencio4032]

Needed this. I've recently found out that I've been obsessed with chasing and adhering to common aesthetics I've seen online since I was a pre-teen. Cottagecore, dark academia, studyblr, etc. And it really deeply affects me; I kind of form my personality around it each time I try to 'achieve' the ultimate embodiment of that aesthetic - and if I behave, act, have hobbies, or even think /outside/ of the aesthetic-box that I put myself in, I get so disappointed in myself because I feel like fraud for projecting a version of myself unto the world that isn't who I really am. This is very good advice. I hope a lot more younger people see this.

[@isabellamagbanua]

This morning I was living my life, business as usual, and was doing research for my psych final, and then I got distracted and ended up reading about the witch aesthetic on wiki how, and then I came across the dark academia aesthetic, and I had to take a minute. There I was, drinking my black coffee, listening to classical music, and wearing a black skirt with a grey sweater. So basically I had a huge realization about myself this morning, and right after I finished my psych final I proceeded to find this video. I dont really follow the aesthetic, but the academic side is something i really identify with

[@VeronicaGorositoMusic]

Oh, is this trend something for reading poetry, or it's about actually studying a career while dressing as if you were in the old times? Or I misssed the entire point of it?

[@devshreepatel7605]

Thank you for building the community of people I can actually relate to. Have a great week!

[@shortforruthless]

I believe the outside-in approach is much to be expected in a visual society like ours. And don't get me wrong, I get it; the aesthetics of it all are so appealing. When the future seems constantly endangered, a bit of tragic romance can be a lovable distraction from the mess the world has become of late (and boy, is dark academia dramatic). But it's so painful to wear the carcass of a set of values and behaviours you don't really feel attached to. In a sense, by embracing the aesthetical appearance of a tribe, you are declaring a sense of belonging and could be suspected to abide by their principles, so to speak, and that can be so very uncomfortable when meeting another member of said tribe. Especially one that, if not engaged in it, can appear so painfully pedantic to the outsider. Ah, the 21st-social media obsessed-century...

[@ultravioletpisces3666]

I think sometimes we go through "phases" not because we are being fake or only care about the aeathrtics but just because we have many parts of ourselves to express and it's sometimes fun or fulfilling to dive deep into an aspect. So someone might find they have a "dark acedemia" phase and later on they give it up and do some other aesthritic, and it might even have conflicting ///, not because we are being fake but either because we are exploring or we have many different sides (do I contradict myself? Very well then I contradict myself) and there is nothing wrong with that. Um sure somebody out there right now I'd rocking neon acedemia, with all dark acedemia silhouettes (sweaters, v necks, ties, sweater vests, tweed coats and pleated pants) in 1980's neon colors because that's just what rocks their soul. And someone else is slavishly following "how to be dark acedemia" and pretending to like Tolstoy, and wearing clothes that don't flatter them, and that's OK too because they are finding themselves as well. It's all a journey and it's perfectly find to go 500 miles down "the wrong road." Sometimes we have to find out who we are NOT in order to find out who we are.

[@AmanSingh-jy8sq]

In around mid-July, I found out that there is apparently a huge internet “aesthetic” movement called “dark academia” that centers around a highly romanticized impression of what humanities scholars and students-especially those in the fields of classics, English, history, and philosophy-dressed and lived like in the twentieth century. Aspects of the aesthetic include wearing old-fashioned, dark-colored, stereotypically “academic” clothing and appreciating “classic” literature, art, and music.

[@chrisschross666]

Criminal Minds Dr. Spencer Reid got me into dark academia lol. Always loved his style, attitude and darknes. Never knew how to describe this style, but dark academia slays it.

[@cosmic3045]

I've seen a lot of people all over social media saying stuff like '"oh if I were smart this would be my aesthetic" you don't have to be smart! the aesthetic is mostly about books and literature, it's not in the rule book that you've gotta be 'smart' to enjoy the things this aesthetic shows.

[@Oprimobilingue]

Man, I'm a 21 years old guy from Brazil 🇧🇷 And I've got to say that I'm in love with your channel! Your videos are really good... I'm learning through your video's content! Please don't stop, keep going

[@MitchellNihil00]

I am taking on the dark academia aesthetic as I'm just 14 and I want to try and find a community I can really get into, even though I don't know my interests. I'm thinking of just trying a bunch of different ones, and dark academia was my first choice, since one thing I do enjoy is reading books. Old, new, whatever, I just love books, and I also love the decorating aesthetic.

[@laurat.4791]

i think it's so cool that people all over the world feel drawn to the same group without it being an organization or anyone having ulterior motives.. ppl bound together just by interest, passion, love for learning and aesthetics.. that is so unique nowadays

[@ayvi8850]

*laughs in hot weather country* *laughs in Greek who was forced to learn ancient greek, latin and all the greek plays & philosophies*

[@buzz_jack5414]

My lord your voice is SOO satisfying ever thought of voice acting/narration

[@esthervizcainoruiz403]

I’ve been in love with Greek mythology since 6th grade, always love to read, stared my Latin courses in 10th grade and Greek in 11th, so when 6 month into Greek lockdown happened and I discovered dark academia, something clicked. I finally felt seen. And through this journey thanks to the aesthetic I’ve found amazing books and motivation to read and learn. I just wanted to share that

[@originalismisacrock166]

Yup. Greco-Roman mythology and Latin are gateway drugs. (BTW - if you've not yet read Hesiod's "Theogony" and "Works and Day," do get your hands on them. And Vergil's Eclogues. They will really enhance your understanding of mythology / classical spiritualism. Of course, if you _have_ read them, you already know this.)

[@absnewman]

smthn I’ve noticed: dark academia ppl are always super nice and welcoming honestly, it is just all about passion and learning and I feel like dark academia ppl are always so encouraging and respectful of all different forms this might come in

[@gabrielajoana9511]

I really thought dark academia was a new teen tv show or something 😂

[@inmylifeivelovedthemall]

SAME I FELT SO DUMB WHEN I FOUND OUT WHAT IT IS😂

[@nargizhajiyeva3111]

same ahahah

[@Beeetlejjug]

Honestly yeah 😭🤣

[@gabrielajoana9511]

I'm glad I'm not alone 🤣

[@nananananessi]

i thought it is an anime i-

[@porqueler2701]

My take on DA is from inside out too. Definitely love the aesthetic, it made me feel like I belonged with a group, and that my taste wasn't uncommon. But I definitely agree with you, do what you like. I think that the aesthetic can help you polish yourself, in fashion and books. You have inspiration more easily with a name. But I think the core of it is the insatiable hunger for knowledge. I have it, and it's in learning languages, doing good in school, reading books, learning about topics you find cool.

[@arcticgaming5806]

Your voice sounds like how imagine dark chocolate would sound like

[@sendhelp7293]

ginger flavored dark chocolate

[@HM-rc7nn]

Love you dude The positivity I get from listening to you is what I need to get through tough days~

[@clareab6219]

Best piece of advice: “Don’t dive into esoteric things just for the sake of aesthetics.” I’ve been there and time will come real fans would want an extensive discourse and you would feel like a fraud.

[@catercoz2491]

Great wisdom! Always add a bow tie for any professor aesthetic. Bow ties are a definite must!

[@itsametaphorbrian4997]

I already love Shakespeare, Jazz music, history and languages. Besides, the fashion was always what I loved, now actually having found such a fashion/lifestyle trend feels inspiring and limiting at the same time: I love the feeling of being part of a group however it makes me question my individualism as well...yikes

[@pandesel]

Thank you for this!!! So on point. I honestly appreciate people who go out of their way to explore diversity within Dark Academia, especially literature written by people of color. As someone from southeast asia/the tropics, it's hard to get into much of the aesthetic. And even if I hold a degree in education and English, my DA aesthetic never truly fit in with the western-centric academia - but I fell in love with our own literature and native flavor that's written in English. And to me, DA need not be devoid of politics - if political theories are your thing, then kudos to you! One can only like a few things - a few pieces of Shakespeare, Sappho, Fitzgerald, Wilde, Austen, Luis Stevenson. And one can only love even fewer of things - things that you can call your own and say that they, these things shaped my love for learning and the arts. These things made me and I want to share the world how beautiful they are - whether known widely or within a niche only. In short, you just follow what really resonates with you - your whole being, straight into the core, what drives you to live and learn. That's what's most important and I'm sounding a bit like Robin Williams from Dead Poets but that's the point I guess.

[@ines4242]

Litterly tought "dark academia" must be a trending show on Netflix 😅😂

[@samitagawade3235]

Me too bro😁😁

[@tearvor9924]

This aesthetic seems pretty cool, I learned about it yesterday and it's comforting to know so many people sharing the same interests are describing themselves with the same label !

[@astitchatatime8195]

I am still waiting for dark engineering to catch on: 80's punk hacker/60's bohemian meets dark historic/vintage and tweed (aka meets dark academia).... activities include: forging/welding/soldering, programming, mechanics and electrics calculations, hating on PLC's, building simple robots to help with little tasks... Themes include: exploring and learning through creating and building, questions about the morality of scientific experiments/discoveries, how to thrive through chaos... examples: Frankenstein (most historic horror scifi), urban fantasy stories that mix science elements in, historic tales of caution related to experiments/discoveries (the terror, ww/cold war related things, etc), genius stories set in history (sherlock holmes/queen's gambet/etc)

[@hilarywade687]

Have you read Nevil Shute? He was a thriller writer and real life 1930's airship engineer who worked on the R100.

[@astralsapphire5797]

This is a wonderful video youtube has recommended. It's a miracle at 6 am. Dark academia and academia in general is my favourite type of well anything. I had no idea that such a whimsicalish academia well personality existed. Now my disgruntled vampire way of speaking will be appreciated

[@sofialpaca2563]

Yeah, it's way more interesting to dwell into what interests one, instead of going willy nilly in an elitist and bourgeois perspective of what "knowledge" and "culture" is. There's many ways to get hooked in a classical subject/academic field, and loving "the academics", just for the intellectual looks or the social points of it can be quite sterile. For instance good science-fiction can be a wonderful door towards philosophy, and in these times of existential dread, the words of Shelley can uplift a locked down larva... Now i shall return to my goblin den filled with the books i never have time to read

[@tfreivogel]

I'm glad I found this term. I always had and always loved that aesthetic, but I didn't know what to call it, and sometimes it was hard to find certain things that I wanted. And now it's easier to find. Of course there are certain things that people say he does or that I don't agree with and I do it my way, so I agree with you. I'm glad I found your channel. I watched one of your videos which made me think a lot about my profession. Thank you very much.

[@YukiTombo]

I think I'm.... "Colorful Academia"? Like Ms Frizzle in The Magic School Bus, or a chemistry teacher in a tie-dyed lab coat and Birkenstocks with socks

[@dp9828]

Ok that sounds like an awesome aesthetic

[@YukiTombo]

@@dp9828 Right?? People have been asking what's the one for the more biology/natural sciences types, and I think this is it.

[@user-dq3rd8fz2v]

that sounds awesome

[@yuli161-daedalus]

Two years ago you were happy about 5000 subs, I'm happy you made your journey and i got to witness this moment of your past

[@cow5183]

We had to read Percy Jackson in middle school and I didn’t like how goofy it was. I was more interested in the actual history of the ancient Greeks.

[@starsinleaves3671]

I enjoyed it in middleschool, but now I find it to be too goofy for me. I miss the world of ancient Greece with a modern twist added to it so much. I wish I had still liked the style of writing in the Percy Jackson books, but I just can't. So I've been thinking about reading books that actually portray Greek Mythology accurately. Do you happen to have any recommendations?

[@rachel8089]

What I love about the dark academia aesthetic is how it romanticizes the very things I love. It has encouraged me to read more, as I’ve always loved to read but had fallen out of doing it, maybe partially due to not knowing what to read. Before I had ever heard of it I had gone through phases of obsessively researching the Victorian era, for example, and then I liked science, astronomy, and Greek mythology. I love wearing and owning vintage things, I like art. I write stories. And through searching for those things I came across this aesthetic and it’s so awesome and fun to see those things, that are typically thought of by people as boring etc, made into something beautiful and interesting, romanticized, with resources and inspiration for even more. And like you put it, it’s cool to embody an aesthetic like that.

[@stephanieray6668]

Is there an aesthetic that is still based in the love of learning, but is more in the stem side of things? Because that would be me.

[@marillaz4582]

Stephanie Ray not that Ive heard of yet but there probably is one out there. Or you could make your own style. In the meantime, you might like cognitive-surplus.com if you haven’t found it already.

[@eunjungkim5550]

Dark academia isn't just literature or theatre or tragedies, it can be any kind of learning. There are many medical dark academia realms.

[@jadez.2476]

Still dark academia. As long as u love what subject your learning

[@stephanieray6668]

Marilla Z this stuff is so cool! Thanks for the link!

[@sarthakmukherjee6164]

Dark Academia can easily fit into a STEM Academic life, quite like the Cambridge and Oxfordian Professors of Mathematics and Physics, such as Stephen Hawking.

[@aitanalawlor]

Just found your channel and I'm completely loving it! Ever since I was little I loved reading books and having the library next door made it pretty difficult to not fall inlove with books haha. When I started to be aware of the dark academia aesthetic, I thought it was pretty nice being able to discuss similar interests with people and that way learn even more... But I must say it also made me feel bad at times, specially when I went through a "reader's block", which has been several times. I felt so upset about not being able to keep up with the community and almost made me loose interest in reading... I completely agree on a point you made that it's a bit dangerous to let dark academia "consume you". Luckily in my case, I just stopped caring about fitting and started reading out of pleasure again :) Anywayyy I just wanted to say that I wish I could've watched this video then and I'm glad future readers have it.

[@angelmaden1559]

I’m stunned. I had no idea at 59 I’ve had an aesthetic all these years! 🤣🤣🤣📚📚

[@niddynoddy]

I remember watching you a couple of months ago and thought you were quite famous in this community of people, but then you've said you got 5k subs, and that was 8 months ago. Bruh, 150k subs in 8 months. You go! Cheers!

[@rodrigodecastro6874]

wow, so glad to hear him celebrating 5k followers when now he has almost 100k

[@walkergoff3127]

Your content is one of a kind. Keep doing you.

[@ZombieLand355]

basically, dark academia is indiana jones, milo thatch and the mummy brendan frasers style. Or a scottish grandpa. Basically the whole thing is that we want to dress like either your grandparents or your grandgrandparents. THE OLDER THE BETTER. Dark academia-yourself back into 1670.

[@RCWaldun]

Yes. The older the better. :)

[@spacerants5487]

This is so interesting, I personally always loved books and learning (about to be a literature graduate) it wasn’t until last year that I found out about dark academia and to be honest, yes It felt like “home” because for years I had been immersed in books and languages and poetry but never knew there was a whole aesthetic or community. Then, after deep dives I realized that it was just that, an aesthetic and that was okay for me as someone who loved books and academia before knowing about the secret history or we were villains. If people who aren’t familiar with this whole world find interesting books and experiences and then they feel the need to read more and wow I appreciate dark academia for being some sort of bridge for young people into academia and learning.

[@kshitijsinghchahar]

Dark Academia got you another sub.

[@deactivatedcrmUw]

well said sir (and fellow polymath)! i tend to interpret the whole dark academia 'movement' as embracing your interests with genuine passion, pursuing human connection through historical accounts, pouring your heart into what you do, enhancing the beauty (and terror ;) in every day occurrences... to me, the main reason the secret history seduced so many people into this specific community isn't the elegant aesthetic, the gritty plot, or even its emphasis on greek classics. rather it was the way each character was fueled and enthralled by their academic interests, to the point of extreme romanticization of their own selves; how they strive towards ethernal youth in the sense of wonder, curiosity and boundless pining. i think in a way many of us felt a longing for a more meaningful, intense, rich way of life. to be shamelessly more sensible and in tune with our experiences, good or bad, just like our favorite poets, writers, artists, researchers, musicians. kind of like looking for a silver lining in an otherwise average existence. maybe by forming a community that embraces and encourages peculiar personal pursuits, we're relearning to enjoy art and science as the collective, noble efforts they are.

[@deactivatedcrmUw]

i am aware this comes off pretentious as fuck, but that's what makes it fun to me. i live & die for verbosity lmao