If you have been active on social media channels such as TikTok, Tumblr or Instagram for some time, you may have seen the term “Dark Academia” in many places. If this name intrigues you, this article is for you!

Dark Academia is a TikTok and Tumblr aesthetic and subculture shaped around classical Greek and Gothic architecture, spreading from higher education, writing, poetry to art and even fashion style. It is associated with subcultural, classical literature, ancient art, and mythology. This aesthetic concept, which seems a little too “dark” to some of us, has become widespread around the world for some time.

So why haven’t we heard so much about this current that’s been around for a few years?

Because this aesthetic has become popular on social media platforms during this ongoing quarantine in the age of COVID-19, like many things that have suddenly entered our lives and which we can consider popular.  In addition to seeking to discover its own self, Dark Academia is a current that has surrounded us by directing us to topics such as classical literature, where aesthetics and fine arts are prioritized. The greatest material of the ‘Dark Academia’ has emerged from European culture.

These art writers with Gothic aesthetic backdrops often write detailed prose. The dark academy was literarily inspired by tragedy and satire. It is often observed that the characters resort to violence and that these characters benefit from occult arts.

If you are interested in Dark Academia Books, here are some of the books I can recommend for you:

• The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt,
• If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio,
• Ninth House (Alex Stern, #1) by Leigh Bardugo,
• Vicious (Villains, #1) by V.E. Schwab,
• The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde,
• The Lake of Dead Languages by Carol Goodman,
• Frankenstein: The 1818 Text by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley.

And here are some Tv Shows I can recommend you about the ‘Dark Academia’ :

• The Haunting of Hill House,
• Penny Dreadful,
• The Haunting of Bly Manor,
• Lemony Snicket’s a Series of Unfortunate Events,
• Hannibal,
• The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina,
• The Umbrella Academy.

Dark Academia was influenced by the fashion of the 1930s and 40s by the style of students’ dress. Some of the clothing items associated with those aesthetics are tweed clothes, blazers, dress shirts, plaid skirts, Oxford shoes and a predominantly black, cool white, beige, brown, dark green , navy blue color palette.

Dark academia, unlike other aesthetics, is melancholic because it has a romantic side and mystical aspect to it. It focuses on self-discovery, focusing on who you are, and the importance of learning fully about yourself.