Continuing on from the initial course looking at classics in dark academia last summer, in this 4-week short course, we’ll be looking at five (from four authors) dark academia texts that use classics to contribute to their atmosphere.  We’ll start with a quick recap on the background to the genre, and how it creates the tension and secrecy that are key parts of it.

We’ll look at a text each week: firstly, Jose Carlos Somoza’s The Athenian Murders, which is classical both in setting and use of texts and imagery; Leigh Bardugo’s Ninth House and Hell Bent, which use Latin in a more fantastical plot centred around an Ivy League US university; Phoebe Wynne’s Madam, exploring classics within a claustrophobic school setting; and finally Natalie Haynes’s The Amber Fury, which also looks at using classics in a school setting, exploring the relationship between a troubled teacher and troubled teens.

Reading the novels is recommended but key extracts will be provided, within the guidelines for educational usage.  Kick start your summer classics reading!

The class will meet on Zoom on Thursdays at 18:00-19:30 (GMT+1). Dates for this course are Thursday 15th May, 22nd May, 29th May, and 5th June 2025.

Tutor: Dr Anactoria Clarke.

The class will proceed subject to a minimum number of enrolments.

Cancellation policy: students will receive a full refund if the student cancels their registration more than two weeks before the class begins. Students will receive 50% refund if the student cancels their registration 8-14 days before the class begins.