babel by RF Kuang is the only 2022 dark academia release that matters. this historical fantasy novel tackles the darkest part of academia: the fact that universities in the west are built upon and benefit from the degradation and destruction of the global south (and non-western cultures, resources, and bodies).
rf kuang, an oxford graduate and woc, has lived experience with racism in academic settings and communicates a deep, thorough understanding of the inner workings of universities. her writing is unparalleled. babel will change the way people perceive the romanticization of academia, and that is an incredible thing. this subgenre has already been diluted by books like “if we were villains” (2017) which uses slurs and racist similes, and “a lesson in vengeance” (2021) which positions the only Black character as a didactic tool meant to teach the white protagonist about racism. we need more books like ace of spades (2021) and Babel because, not only should there be diversity in dark academia, but there should be books that acknowledge and condemn the white supremacist roots of western education.
i keep seeing people promote books that attempt to replicate the “vibes” of dark academia but have 0 fucking substance. they are awful and repetitive and follow a formula, and they don’t do anything that hasn’t already been done. the characters tend to be two dimensional and underdeveloped. that’s the danger of romanticizing the aesthetic of something without caring about its history. i lost faith in “dark academia lit” before i read babel because almost all the other books in the subgenre were so bad.
yousharknotpass
gracieabrams
turnnoffyourmind
gummygunk
2087
