you know what bothered me so much about the secret history (even though i love it to bits)? the characterization for the main cast of characters was reduced to stereotypes and barely anything, especially for camilla, who was only viewed as the ultimate prize by richard!
Ohh very interesting! Since the secret history is a satire at its core, a lot of the elements are overexaggerated, including and especially the characters. The really interesting thing about that though is that it’s not just Donna tartt’s choice to exaggerate all the characters’ personalities—it’s richard’s. I’ve heard lots of people saying that camilla is the ‘distant beauty’ archetype because she’s seen through the male gaze, and I agree with that, but all the rest of the gang are also stuffed into a box by Richard because of his tendency to romanticize things so much. Henry is the cold genius, charles the angelic sebastian flyte, francis the cultured aesthete, etc. etc. So while the characters might seem reduced to caricatures, it actually adds depth to Richard and his morbid longing for the picturesque.
All that being said, just because that’s all purposeful doesn’t mean that you have to like it—it can be a little overdone at times. And I do agree that the book could benefit a lot from more focus on women/camilla, even just a slight subversion of richard’s beliefs about her at the end.