Cover Letter
I intended for my audience to see the Dark Academia community in a different light through my essay. In my first subculture research essay, I saw a lot of articles about the downsides of the Dark Academia subculture, such as elitism and racism. I included this information in my research essay, but as a part of my mini ethnography, I wanted to focus on the upsides of Dark Academia as a subculture. I want people to see it as a subculture as opposed to just a trend.
In order to plan for my mini-ethnography, I first looked at Subreddits to find members of Dark Academia subculture interacting. I found numerous statements and responses to the statement, and documented them as my field notes. I tried finding patterns in tone and diction in order to characterize the different interactions between the members of the Dark Academia subculture. The main changes or realizations I had were to find different platforms of social media to find the interactions in. I looked at Youtube because I realized that comments under videos can show interactions between members of the subculture. The comments are responsive, as opposed to Reddit where you post a statement and initiate it first.
As I worked on the essay, I learned about my preconceived notions and biases. I realized that since I am an outsider of the subculture, I viewed Dark Academia as a trend alone. I didn’t realize how deeply entrenched people were in Dark Academia as a culture and lifestyle. Wardrobe and aesthetic make a difference in one’s life, but is often seen as a superficial feature.
I like this assignment because it changed my views on what a subculture or culture can be. I remember in the beginning of the semester, we were asked what subculture we belonged to. I responded by saying I was an Indian classical dancer, but I realized that I can even be a part of Dark Academia.
I would like to learn how to develop a stronger and more confident tone as a writer. I want to pursue a career in the legal field, so I need to feel confident in my writing skill. Also, as a bilingual student, my grammar can also be improved. I have a hard time collecting my thoughts, so communicating through the written word can improve my speaking skills.
My peer’s comments helped my confidence in my writing skills but also reminded me to not rush my conclusion. I tend to give less importance to my conclusion paragraphs, but I realize that the conclusion is the part that is most fresh in the readers’ minds.
The paper has helped achieve the course objective of strengthening my source use practices. It encouraged me to use visual sources like Youtube, which I previously would’ve written off as unreliable. In a piece that is written to analyze culture, even the unreliable sources are important to understand interactions.
Reel Life Versus Real Life
In a world of towering gothic cathedrals and murder mystery novels, the culture of Dark Academia thrives and gains followers. This subculture is most popular on the internet, specifically spaces like Reddit and Instagram. Individuals resonate with the features of the subculture of Dark Academia, and as a result it can be inferred that Dark Academia is fairly inclusive. As an inclusive subculture, it means that Dark Academia is the culture of a more diverse population. The research question that drives this paper questions the existence of this subculture outside of the internet.
Dark Academia originated in Tumblr around 2015, and ever since it has been very prevalent in the online community. This subculture is related to “autumnal colors, vintage clothing, the romanticization of liberal arts education, a pursuit of knowledge, and occasionally, a murder mystery” (“Dark Academia’s Roots Lie in the Campus Novel”). Dark Academia is a subculture that glamorizes the pursuit of higher level education, specifically Ivy League Education.
This online subculture opened up a whole new world to young adults by making these Ivy League education “aesthetics” more accessible. At the start of lockdown, young adults cultivated this community at a time where teenagers couldn’t go to class. As imaginations went wild, reading books also became popular amongst teenagers. “Booktok” was a popular internet term to describe people discussing literature on Tik Tok. Even in libraries, you could see the “Booktok” shelves creeping in. It shows the incorporation of media into the “real world”. “Booktok” made the subculture of Dark Academia more accessible and more popular amongst youths.
Literature is at the core of the subculture of Dark Academia. Books like Bunny and The Picture of Dorian Gray are works that members of Dark Academia consider classics. Mysteries, specifically murder mysteries, really interest Dark Academics because it embodies the dark and mysterious aesthetic that Dark Academics hope to achieve. They hope to achieve this image in other ways, such as their wardrobes. Dark Academics love to wear colors such as emerald green, black, white, gray, and brown. Members of the Dark Academia subculture also love wearing clothes that students of Ivy League schools stereotypically wear. This includes ties, plaid skirts, button up shirts, cardigans, sweaters, khaki pants, etc. Members of Dark Academia like to wear attire like that listed above because it is the embodiment of quiet power. It is simple, yet creates an image of elegance and sophistication. In addition, the subculture of Dark Academia also is born from the idea of a “campus novel,” a genre of literature based on the lives of students in higher education.
Apart from the subculture’s attire, the architecture related to Dark Academia is also intricate but subtle. Big gothic campuses and gargoyles and dark undertones represent the subculture of Dark Academia very well. This is because there are many intricate and extravagant details, but it is treated as normal and a part of everyday life by members of the subculture of Dark Academia. Places like Oxford University and the mythical school of Hogwarts are all examples of architecture related Dark Academia. With architecture, there should be dark undertones and an air of mystery present in order to be of the subculture of Dark Academia. There is also always a subtle element of surprise because Dark Academic culture always references features such as “secret passageways” or in the case of Hogwarts, changing staircases.
As an outsider of this subculture, it is important for me to understand the history of the subculture of Dark Academia before doing fieldwork. The first form of fieldwork I did was on the internet. I went to Reddit in order to see interactions between members of the subculture of Dark Academia. The first interaction I saw was one in which a Dark Academic asks the community the meaning of a quote from the work of literature The Picture of Dorian Gray. This example of interaction between Dark Academics really aligned with my research. In this thread, I read a lot of responses where people questioned the meaning of life. It was refreshing to see how many of the responses to the existential questions were relatable across many subcultures. It reminds me of how other cultures use religion to answer these questions, while members of Dark Academia use literature to answer them. I also noticed how the diction used by Dark academics varied. Some answered the question in simple vocabulary, while others used more advanced vocabulary. I sensed the inclusivity of the community through the diversity of diction.
Another thread I read about was about Dark Academia book recommendations. Again the mere existence of this thread and its popularity aligns with my research because it proves how much literature is the essence of the subculture of Dark Academia. A response under this Subreddit for Dark Academia literature recommendations specified that the books had a “horror vibe”. This sparked the realization that not all Dark Academia literature has to have a tone of horror. A lot of other responses to this had to do with philosophy. I can now infer that philosophy is also important to the subculture of Dark Academia because it explains all the existential questions and the literature recommendations. There is a general pursuit of knowledge and intellectualism across the board.
The next prompt I analyzed was a poll asking which subject was the most Dark Academic subject to study, which also took place on Reddit. A member of the subculture said “Classics, is it even a question?” This response illustrates how history is deeply rooted in Dark Academia. The romanticization of gothic architecture and pieces of art from the Renaissance shows how much the members of Dark Academia treasure European history. It also sheds light on the fact that intellectualism doesn’t always have to do with science or math only. Dark Academics are drawn to the idea of living a life that is steeped in culture and knowledge. A Dark Academic also responded saying “I don’t think there is a single “most” Dark Academia subject, because all of these are very valid (and since it has already been said, one could add classics to the list). As long as the course of studies is culture-centric, I can see Dark Academia potential in it.” This response confirmed my assumption that Dark Academia revolves around culture.
I also saw many posts about the Paris Opera House. One Dark Academic posted pictures of the Paris Opera House and described how eager she was to share it on social media. Other members of Dark Academia responded very positively and deeply analyzed the pictures. Another person commented on the candlelight and the shadows that “danced around the cave-like structures.” I again recognize how poetic and artistic the diction used by the Dark Academic is. This location might be important for Dark Academics because it represents the sophisticated and classic aesthetic of the subculture of Dark Academia.
I also used Youtube to find videos on Dark Academia and to see comment sections. I found a Dark Academia playlist that sets a “haunted” mood, and it seems that the purpose of making this video was to help people study. I gather this information from the fact that playlists are usually for studying or meditating, and the captions speak about studying in a library. The comments are brimming with Dark Academics writing stories that make the reader feel like they are the main character. The online community refers to these stories or situations as “POVs.” The stories were about individuals reading in a haunted library or cathedral. I saw people writing about Da Vinci, Shakespeare, Mozart, etc. One commenter described their thoughts while listening to the video. “It’s late at night, I’m doing my schoolwork in the light of candles, because the power is out after a huge storm that came few hours ago. Everything is so calm now, the whole town is dark and quiet, it feels like being the only conscious person far and wide”(Nobody 2022). It further proved my claim that culture is the center of Dark Academia.
As I dug deeper into Youtube for in person events having to do with Dark Academia, I found videos that have to do with Dark Academia themed weddings. This is interesting because not all people attending the wedding are of the Dark Academic culture, yet it can still be a symbol of Dark Academia in real life as opposed to online. People are still participating in the culture because they are celebrating Dark Academia. I also found it interesting how Dark Academia was integrated into events that seem to be a part of “traditional” cultures. Furthermore, there are Dark Academia themed parties where the people attending are more likely to be of the subculture of Dark Academia.
According to my research and fieldwork, Dark Academia is a subculture that exists both within and outside of the Internet. Subreddits and Youtube playlists are spaces in which Dark Academics connect online. On the other hand, Dark Academia themed weddings and parties are examples of Dark Academia outside of the internet.
