Word from the Chair: end of year
This time of year, when the sun rises increasingly later and sets always too early, when it is cold and often wet outside, and when we struggle to stay warm, snuggling up at home is very tempting.
‘Gezellig’ on the sofa, with a hot drink and a good book or film becomes so appealing. Recently, I came across a sub-culture which is called ‘dark academia’. Dark academia is associated with the mystery of old libraries, old buildings with long winding corridors, squeaky floor boards and libraries filled with books of ancient knowledge and wisdom waiting to be discovered, savored and digested. Dark academia was in no small measure popularized during the Covid pandemic. Being away from the library led to fantasizing about actually being in one. This sub-culture is linked to an aesthetic derived from sources such as Harry Potter, in its many installments, but also from earlier cultural expressions, such as the film Dead Poets Society (I happen to belong to the school of: not-the-greatest-time-waster of all times). A foundational book in this sub-culture is Donna Tartt’s The Secret History, which is a story of a group of under-graduate classicists, a secret society, and of mystery and suspense at a fictional American college. Also, Leigh Bardugo’s Ninth House and the Netflix series The Queen’s Gambit fit into its frame. We could even include all-time classics of suspense, such as Agatha Christie’s novels (or their recent cinematographic renditions by Kenneth Branagh) as part of this fantasy world of old castles, dark corners and, importantly, puzzles for the brain.
Despite many possible criticisms of this make-believe world, the New York Times wrote about its core appeal: ‘Who wouldn’t want to reclaim some of the romance of higher education – the musty glamour of hushed libraries full of undiscovered tomes, a sense of earned status and future promise, the heady access to power and privilege and undaunted knowledge? The notion that college is a cloistered moment in life, followed by infinite possibility?’.*
In contrast to the dark, this time of year is also very much focused on bringing light. Our ancestors -and some present-day enthusiasts- celebrate winter solstice, the moment in the year that the sun reaches its furthest distance from the sun on the northern hemisphere. Whether you prepare to commemorate the birth of Christ, or celebrate Chanukkah symbolized by the nine-branch menorah candelabra, or Kwanzaa, the African-American feast celebrated with a seven-armed candle, all these celebrations share the focus on bringing light, as well as connecting with loved-ones. With this message I would like to wish you a joyous and wonderful time, indeed, filled with light, connection, as well as relaxation -with or without books-. We look forward to welcome you back on campus fully recuperated in the new year.
Also on behalf of the management team: Happy Holiday Season!
Isabelle Duyvesteyn
Program Chair International Studies
*Pamela Paul, ‘The Season of Dark Academia’, NYT, 30 October 2022.
These are my reading tips for the holidays. Click here to see what other teachers recommend.
- Donna Tart’s The Secret History (New York: Knopf, 1992)
- Leigh Bardugo Ninth House (New York: Flatiron 2019)
- Agatha Christie, all of them!