The Secret History Literary Elements

Mystery; psychological thriller; bildungsroman; campus novel; dark academia

This novel is set on a college campus in New England; specific dates are not given, but the action seems to have been set during the late 1980s or early 1990s.

The novel is told via first-person, retrospective narration from the point of view of Richard Papen, who recounts his memories of college. Richard is 28, looking back on events roughly 8 years earlier.

The novel is dark and contemplative in tone; the key event of the murder is revealed immediately, so readers know that suspense is building as they wait to see how the violent event came to take place. The tone can also be tense, suspenseful, and even shocking, especially during events like the investigation into Bunny's murder, and the lead up to the violent confrontation between Henry and Charles. Because Richard is looking back on a younger and more innocent time, and a time when he was often truly happy, the mood is often wistful, longing, dreamy, and regretful.

Richard Papen is the protagonist. The antagonist is Bunny Corcoran, who threatens to expose the crime committed by Richard's friends.

The major conflict of the novel revolves around Bunny's death. The first conflict is the lead up to his death, as the students are blackmailed by him, and the second conflict involves covering up his murder, and grappling with the psychological aftermath of the crime.

The climax occurs when Henry shoots and kills himself.

The first murder of the farmer foreshadows the second murder. Richard's time alone in the bitter winter foreshadows the snow that will cover Bunny's body. Camilla cutting her foot foreshadows the subsequent acts of violence committed by the group. Henry's suicide foreshadows Francis's subsequent suicide attempt.

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The novel contains many allusions to Greek and Classical texts due to the studies of Richard and his friends. There are also allusions to more modern works of literature, such as Richard commenting that "The Great Gatsby" is one of his favorite novels (which is pertinent because that novel revolves around class, wealth, and the belief that money will allow one to fit in upper-class society) and Richard eventually studying Jacobean tragedies, which often revolve around themes of murder and revenge.

See Imagery section

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Beauty is described as something that evokes a sense of awe and terror: "Whatever we call beautiful, we quiver before it."