no you are not henry, you are richard papen. if youre trying to be henry, you are richard.

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no you are not henry, you are richard papen. if youre trying to be henry, you are richard.
me and all the challengers fans that are still active
I haven’t seen anyone comment on how many Bunny & Charles parallels there are in The Secret History…
Them both being the first ones to actively go against Henry— Bunny for the Battenkill murder and Charles for Bunny’s murder. Both for what we can assume are moral reasons, at least to an extent. While everyone claims that Bunny’s disagreement with the murder has nothing to do with the actual immorality of it all, it always appears that he does, especially with the whole scene where Julian says that Bunny’s been questioning him about Sin and Forgiveness, and that he thinks he’s going to go to church, when Bunny has stated to be one of if not the least religious out of the whole group.
Dare I compare the desperation and borderline insanity of Bunny and Charles towards the end (if we believe that the written note actually was from Bunny, because I’ve seen people argue it’s not and it’s actually a pretty convincing argument). Both of them thinking that Henry was going to kill them, both of them trying their hardest to live (Bunny being found with dirt under his nails because he was grabbing at everything while he fell; Charles trying to kill Henry).
Francis calling Charles an old friend just like how Charles (and Henry himself) described Bunny/Henry… okay… (pages 192, 62, and 457)
Also Camilla saying she knows Charles better than anyone just like how Henry says he knows Bunny better than anyone. (Pages 484 & 192)
Charles, after everything happens with Bunny and Camilla, bursting into rooms without knocking just like Bunny used to. (Pages 515 & 455)
Charles falling away from the intellectual/academic aesthetic they all have going on, the one that Bunny never fit, after everything happens. Especially on page 520 when he’s yelling at Henry…
Henry pointing out the he wouldn’t use the word “kidnap” when talking about Charles, just like he said the whole “I prefer to think of it as a redistribution of matter” when discussing Bunny.
At the end, Marion marrying Bunny’s brother (who looks just like him) and Francis marrying a blue-eyed blonde (just like Charles).
These are only the ones I can remember off the top of my head, but I find it very interesting!
Richard Papen~the secret history
i think one of my favorite things about the secret history is the impact that the story - and the characters - have on people.
everyone i know who has read the book said that reading it made them want to learn latin, study greek, wake up earlier and read/study philosophy. they all felt the urge to adopt the academic style of the characters.
and i wonder, how many other novels have had this kind of impact on people?
there’s something rare about a story that doesn’t just entertain you, but alters the texture of your daily life. after finishing it, you don’t simply close the book and move on (you can’t lol) but you look at the world a little differently. like, even a moodboard on pinterest about dark academia is enough to inspire you because it reminds you of tsh.
i’ve seen so many people online changing their routines because of it; the way they study more diligently, the way they decorate their rooms, even the books they begin to read are different because they want more knowledge, they want to be close to what donna tartt wrote about her characters being.
and to me, maybe that’s the most fascinating part ; the way fiction can awaken a longing. not just for knowledge, but for depth, for discipline and specially for the kind of beauty that feels intellectual and slightly unattainable. it makes you crave something different, something profound.
it makes me think that the true power of certain novels isn’t in their plot twists or shocking moments, but in the atmosphere they create. some books build entire worlds and others build identities. they give readers a version of themselves to aspire to; maybe more cultured, more curious, more deliberate.
and when a book can do that, when it inspires people to wake up earlier just to read philosophy or attempt a new language, it stops being just a story. it becomes a catalyst, it becomes a quiet revolution in someone’s inner life.
Its 3am. Whore whore whore, I chant. He appears behind me. Richard papen.
Richard at the end of TSH saying "after Henry died we all kind of drifted apart" like yeah I imagine 2 out of 6 members of the friend group being dead kinda fucks up the vibe a little bit
tsh fandomm, hello! ive seen a few posts talking about how julian has the same beliefs as judy, the only difference is judy doesnt have the same references to greek as julian does. ive read the book a few times but have never got to that conclusion, why do people say that? is there a specific moment in the book where you can tell that theyre both talking about the same thing?
People read the secret history and then make dark academia pinboards and treat the whole thing like an aesthetic greek tragedy when the whole book was about how believing you're unlocking esoteric philosophical beliefs through your elite and exclusive group and aesthetic dark academia lifestyle is ridiculous and pretentious and blind. Judy Poovey thinks about the same things julian morrow does but just with less references to classical greek literature. Judy Poovey gets high and loses herself completely just like Henry, Charles, Camilla, Francis did except she doesn't call it a bacchanal and she doesn't kill a farmer.
have an open mind when i say this, julian morrow, how he acts as a teacher has the exact same energy as those female teachers who were repeatedly getting fired because they were wearing skimpy outfits.
julian's seduction rather is focused on feeding his small greek class of highly priviledged troubled kids into wanting his validation for his own personal gain. I don't say seduction loosely either as I use the term seduction as something non-sexual obviously but it's seduction nonetheless and henry is his biggest victim here. he's constantly wanting his validation, wanting to be him, breathe him and if he could, climb into his skin and embody everything that julian stands for when julian, an aged "reknowned" greek teacher, has really only said what judy has said but his references to things and his large vocabulary makes him sound bigger than he actually is when he's definitely as much of an outcasted loser as his students are.
julian's privy and closeness to students, his consistent private lessons with henry, including isolating his students from everyone else even the teachers should've made everyone in that school raise their brows but not one of them peeped a word about it, only warning students and expressing less concern and more annoyed that he's the way that he is instead of trying to be rid of him.
julian's seduction has truly gotten into john/richard's head especially much like how henry got into richard's, which is why he talks in such greater detail about them and he talks in his book the way he does as he wants to act and BE like then when yeah, you are like them, little boytoy bitches who are deeply insecure and seek validation from those higher from them than try and be conscious or aware of those around them, centering their whole psyche around them. but i know full well that john/richard wouldn't be as impressed if julian and henry were women and likely seen them as below like he does with camilla and judy when judy has very much proven to be "just as smart" if not smarter than them but doesn't make it her whole personality.
Really good TikTok
While ur having fun laughing waiting for new years eve remember that the snow in the mountains was melting and bunny had been dead for several weeks before we came to understand the gravity of our situation.
i really love that little detail of charles and camilla's odd way of shrugging their shoulders, only raising one. it's comforting for some reason, and i hope it never changes
The Greek class was referenced by Bret Easton Ellis in The Rules of Attraction which is canonically connected to American Psycho, meaning the Greek class could’ve technically ran into Patrick Bateman after graduation. Many thoughts.
i love how henry buys a montblac fountain pen just because julian had one. it tells you everything you need to know about both characters. montblancs are so over-priced and they don't even have gold nibs (at least i don't think they do. all the listings just say gold-coated). they're like $800+ (maybe less in the 80s) and they write just as well as any other fountain pen, but they have the cute snowy cap on the finial. a symbol of expense. the fountain pen equivalent of wearing a shirt that says "gucci" in big bold letters across the chest.
this is actually the wildest thing francis (and the whole greek class atp, because i believe they all share the same ideas) has said so far. this is where donna tartt reveals their true personalities, and you almost don't notice. this right here is one of the reasons that leads them to kill bunny. because he's stupid, and his life is worth less than theirs.
spoilers for wake up dead man!!
having wicks symbolise jesus, comparing himself to jesus in that big speech, implying that his father was god and that he was preparing to fall and rise again, having him be the one that was leading the flock, etc, and then actually have him 'rise' from the dead on the third day and 'die' again after having been betrayed by someone close to him - already fantastic, i was totally on board
having the plot twist be that samson, the one that was probably the most separated from wicks' church, the one who was said to truly love and care for others the most, the one willing to sacrifice for those he loved, the CARPENTER (who uses nails on good friday to essentially make his own coffin), actually ends up as the one rising from the dead on the third day to be killed by someone close to him - also fantastic