The Secret History
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| The Secret History | |
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| Author | Donna Tartt |
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| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Novel |
| Publisher | Alfred A. Knopf |
| Publication date | September 1992 |
| Media type | Print (hardcover and paperback) |
| Pages | 544 pp (hardcover edition) |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-679-41032-5 (hardcover edition) |
The Secret History, the first novel by Mississippi-born writer Donna Tartt, was published by Alfred A. Knopf in 1992. A 75,000 print order was made for the first edition (as opposed to the usual 10,000 order for a debut novel), and the book became a bestseller. A passage from the novel was used as a sample reading selection on the June 2, 2007 administration of the SAT.
Set in New England, The Secret History tells the story of a closely knit group of six classics students at a small, elite Vermont college, similar in many respects to Bennington College (in Bennington, Vermont) where Tartt was a student from 1982 to 1986. One of the six students is the story's narrator, Richard Papen, who reflects, years later, on the situation that led to a murder within the group, implying such at the outset but otherwise revealing events sequentially.
In the opening chapter, as the reader is introduced to Papen, the death of student Edmund "Bunny" Corcoran is revealed, although few details are given initially. The novel undertakes to explore the circumstances and lasting effects of his murder on an academically and socially isolated group of students attending Hampden College in Vermont.
The impact on the students is ultimately destructive, and the potential promise of many young lives is lost to circumstance. It mirrors, in many ways, the notion of a Greek tragedy with fate playing a large part in dictating the very circumstances that lead to an escalation of already fermenting issues.
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[edit] Synopsis
As the story opens, Richard leaves Plano, California, where he is generally unhappy, for Hampden College in Vermont. His approach to his background is in keeping with a theme of literary beauty, in comparison to harsh reality, that continues throughout the novel. He misleads others about his background as necessary, replacing his mediocre working-class childhood with a fabricated one of elite boarding schools and oil wealth.
After moving to Vermont, Richard requests to continue his study of Ancient Greek, only to be told that the class is full, as Classics professor Julian Morrow limits his enrollment to five students. Richard becomes obsessed with the small group of classics students who are studying Greek, often observing them around campus. This continues until he manages to ingratiate himself with the group, helping them solve a Greek grammar problem as they study in the college library. Soon after, armed with advice from the students on how to impress Julian, he meets with him once more and is finally admitted to the select Classics program.
Gradually Richard (and the reader) get to know the group better. It consists of fraternal twins Charles and Camilla Macaulay, who are charming but secretive, as well as Francis Abernathy, whose secluded country home becomes a sanctuary for the group. The two remaining students in particular now become the central focus of the story: the "linguistic genius" Henry Winter, a studious intellectual with a passion for the classics and Plato, and the back-slapping Bunny Corcoran, a slightly bigoted jokester more comfortable reading Sax Rohmer's Fu Manchu, particularly if someone else has bought him a copy.
Their relationship, already considered odd by Richard, becomes even more mystifying when Bunny announces that he and Henry will be spending the winter break together in Italy. This, despite the fact that Henry appears barely tolerant of Bunny and that Bunny is unable to afford such a lavish holiday himself. In fact, it is Henry who is footing the bill for the trip.
When they return, Richard notes that the relationship between the rest of the group and Bunny has become even more strained. Ultimately, Richard learns the truth: during a Bacchanal (without Richard or Bunny), they had inadvertently killed a farmer. Bunny, having been suspicious for some time, uncovered the truth in Italy after reading some of Henry's private notes, and he blackmailed them ever since. He also caused mental pain to the other members of the group by playing on their fears and insecurities.
No longer able to meet Bunny's demands and fearing that Bunny will report the matter to the police, the group resolves to kill Bunny. Henry forms several plots to accomplish such, and he finally goes ahead after Bunny tells Richard of the killing in a drunken rant. Bunny is killed while hiking. Henry pushes him, and he falls to his death.
The remainder of the novel focuses on the aftermath of Bunny's death, especially the collapse of the group, the psychological strains of remorse borne by the individual members and their efforts to maintain secrecy as investigators and other students develop theories about Bunny's disappearance. The supporting cast of other students includes loquacious drug user Judy Poovey, a reader of "those paranoia books by Philip K. Dick."
Charles develops alcoholism and becomes increasingly abusive towards his sister. Francis begins to suffer panic attacks. Julian discovers the evidence in the form of a pleading letter sent to him by Bunny, imploring him to help him: "You're the only one who can." Julian never reports the crime but instead leaves the college.
With the group splintered, the members deal with their crime, to a large extent, in isolation. After Julian's departure, Henry completely breaks down: subtly attempting to kill Charles, living and sleeping with Camilla and informing Richard that the murders liberated him. When Henry commits suicide, the group disintegrates: Francis, a homosexual, is forced by his rich grandfather to marry a woman; Camilla takes care of her grandmother and ends up isolated; Charles runs from rehab with a married woman; Richard, the narrator, becomes a lonely academic whose love for Camilla is unrequited. Henry's death is described as having cut the cord between them and set them all adrift.
[edit] Themes
Michiko Kakutani (New York Times) commented, "In The Secret History, Ms. Tartt managed to make... melodramatic and bizarre events (involving Dionysian rites and intimations of satanic power) seem entirely plausible." On the surface, the novel can be read as a "murder mystery," even though the author introduces the murder and those responsible at the outset. Critic A.O. Scott labeled it "a murder mystery in reverse." [1]
On a deeper level, highlighted by many literary references and allusions, the novel undertakes a complex analysis of literary beauty versus reality, social constraints compared to our desire for liberation, and the relationships and truths that exist behind social structures. The novel displays the following early on: "Does such a thing as 'the fatal flaw,' that showy dark crack running down the middle of a life, exist outside literature? I used to think it didn't. Now I think it does. And I think that mine is this: a morbid longing for the picturesque at all costs." This theme continues throughout the novel as Richard is repeatedly confronted with the separation of literary beauty as he would capture and report it, compared to the reality as it occurs.
[edit] Miscellanea
- A member of Australian political satire group The Chaser is also named Julian Morrow. He is a known fan of the book.
- Australian Indie rock band, The Hampdens based their name on Hampden College from the book.
[edit] References
- ^ Scott, A.O. "Harriet the Spy," New York Times, November 3, 2002.
[edit] Listen to
- NPR: Talk of the Nation: Donna Tartt interviewed by Lynn Neary (November 5, 2002)
- NPR: Talk of the Nation: Donna Tartt and Anne Rice interviewed by Ray Suarez (October 30, 1997)
