#tartt 1992

[quotesfromall]

All my life, people have taken my shyness for sullenness, snobbery, bad temper of one sort or another.

Donna Tartt, The Secret History

[asifwewerevillains]

Donna Tartt really had some fucking nerve. Like first you get hit in the face with Julian being a creep, then you have Henry being a psychopath, and then you find out about the baccahnal. And just when you think things can't get any worse, you got slapped in the face with Bunny's murder, the fact that Charles and Francis were casually fucking during Bunny's funeral, and that Camilla and Charles were sleeping together.

[darcyolsson]

it's still crazy to me that charles and camilla from the secret history were named that before anything about real life charles and camilla ever got out. what are the odds

[te8holic]

fem HENRY WINTER  ???

Poison Ivy (1992 film) / The Secret History (1992 book)

[high-queen-of-the-court]

the secret history’s playlist, if it was a limited series

THERE ARE NO PLANS FOR THE SECRET HISTORY TO BE ADAPTED, THIS IS JUST ME HAVING FUN

*spoiler warning*

seven devils playing when richard discovers that they killed a man OR when henry starts plotting bunny’s murder

writer in the dark playing as everyone is being escorted out of the hotel room with Richard and henry on stretchers and when julian discovers that they killed the man as well as bunny

me and the devil playing during moments where henry showcases evil in front of richard (ex. poisoning the dogs, murder plotting, giving charles medicine that would kill him, after confessing that murder lit up his life and made it fun again, etc.)

way down we go playing as they drive away after they kill bunny and as they start falling apart

team playing during any drug/ drinking party and maybe even while they are at francis’s country house

dark red playing while richard is settling into hampden (this kinda serves as foreshadowing), maybe this plays during Christmas break as well

money power glory playing during bunny’s funeral/ procession (i want money power glory line playing while henry sprinkles dirt on bunny’s grave)

[lanaisnotokay]

“For if the modern mind is whimsical and discursive, the classical mind is narrow, unhesitating, relentless.”

— Donna Tartt, The Secret History

[ronanessy]

just came to the glaring realization that the secret history twins, charles and camilla are named... well, that

[winterbear-a]

Charles Macaulay

'Not sure if I need a glass of wine or a gun or both.'

—Charles Macaulay, The Secret History by Donna Tartt (1992).

[ammascrellin]

the bacchanal of the andrians by titian (1523–1526) / sharp objects (2018) / the secret history by donna tartt (1992) / yellowjackets (2021–) / the talented mr. ripley (1999)

[a-poets-darling]

In the first week of April the weather turned suddenly unseasonably, insistently lovely. The sky was blue, the air warm and windless, and the sun beamed on the muddy ground with all the sweet impatience of June.

Donna Tartt, The Secret History (1992).

[thebeesareback]

I just finished the audio book for Donna Tartt's novel The Secret History, so naturally I had to have a lil scroll to see what everyone thought on Tumblr. To add to the discourse: (spoilers, obviously)

Also trigger warning: incest, abuse, murder, alcoholism

Why is Tumblr so in love with Henry Winter?! He murders the farmer, Bunny, and possibly tries to kill Charles. He's manipulative and may well try to make Richard take the fall (har har) for Bunny's death. In the garden scene, he admits to being a psychopath/sociopath. Oh, and he's unbelievably pretentious

Also, why are there so many cute pictures of the twins hanging out? Their relationship was strained, incestuous, co-dependent, abusive. The whole uwu thing baffles me

Richard has a very obvious foot fetish and nobody is talking about it

The novel is quite funny, and I wish more people picked up on that. Most of the humour comes from Francis - the pinz nez stays ON during sex; no, Bunny's parents weren't very upset when one of their grandchildren ruined Francis' scarf, they were preoccupied by their missing son; and there's a throwaway line where the art students eat sushi with paintbrushes instead of chopsticks. I also liked when the twins panicked after Bunny's murder and decided to start repotting tulips

The farmer is referred to by name twice. Once in a newspaper, once by Bunny. Strange to think that he's the person in the squad who might actually have a conscience. Incidentally, Milo, the golden retriever who finds Bunny's body, has his name mentioned more frequently.

Richard is a smelly, badly dressed misanthrope. As is Henry, and Charles towards the end. Francis, Camilla and Hampden itself provide the (admittedly gorgeous) dark academia aesthetic, but if you want to end that dream, remember how terrible everything would have smelled. I guess the difference between appearance and reality is a pretty big theme

Julian is very creepy, obviously, but I was surprised that he wasn't more involved in the plot. He seems like exactly the sort of person to start a cult. I'd also like to know if he and Henry were in a sexual relationship, because we see them kiss once and then it's never mentioned again

Foreshadowing is done EXCELLENTLY through the book. There were a few characters who were described as ghostly at the start, and I THINK they're the ones who survive. Also, Tartt loves her pathetic fallacy (not phallusy).

Time is very strange. If you bothered to plot out all of the events, I don't think it quite makes sense. Term starts in September, say Richard joins Julian's classes in early October? That means all the picnics, the Sunday walks with Bunny, the trips to Francis' house, all happen over about five weeks, leading to the 12th November when Charles, Henry and Francis kill the farmer. Unreliable narrator, I guess

A lot of things about Richard's character make more sense when you realise the abuse he grew up experiencing and witnessing. Poor Ms Papen. Odd that Richard's parents don't visit him when he's in hospital

Funny that everyone is surprised when the twins' incest comes out. Like, they had an orgy at the start of the baccanal. Call me a prude, but I wouldn't attend an orgy with a family member

I would go for girls' night with Judy Poovey

Also, the book was published in 1992. Does anyone know when Prince Charles and Camila Parker Bowles went public with their relationship? Seems like an unbelievable coincidence otherwise

If anyone has an actual criteria for identifying alcohol abuse/alcoholism, please lmk if any of the main six characters AREN'T alcoholics. I'm pretty sure I got liver cirrhosis and lung cancer just from reading this book

[haveyoureadthispoll]

[crimmsonjane]

Interview with Donna Tartt (1992)

[fairydrowning]

"In the first week of April the weather turned suddenly unseasonably, insistently lovely. The sky was blue, the air warm and windless, and the sun beamed on the muddy ground with all the sweet impatience of June."

– Donna Tartt, The Secret History (1992)

[haveyoureadthisbook-poll]

[charl3ss]

The Secret History (1992) by Donna Tartt