The Secret History

“Beauty is terror. Whatever we call beautiful, we quiver before it.”

Prologue

The novel opens with Richard Papen, the narrator, confessing his involvement in the murder of his friend Bunny Corcoran. He reflects on his time at Hampden College, a small Vermont liberal arts school, where he fell under the spell of an elite group of classics students led by the enigmatic Julian Morrow.

Part One: The New Student

Richard, a working-class Californian, transfers to Hampden and becomes fascinated by a group of five eccentric classics students: Henry, Francis, Charles, Camilla, and Bunny. He manipulates his way into Julian’s exclusive Greek class, where the students study ancient texts in an insular, almost cult-like environment.

Part Two: The Bacchanal

The group, influenced by Julian’s teachings on Dionysian rituals, attempts to recreate a bacchanal—a frenzied, wine-fueled ancient rite—in the woods. The experiment spirals out of control, resulting in the accidental death of a local farmer. Henry and Bunny are the only witnesses, and Henry convinces the others to cover it up.

Part Three: The Fall

Bunny, burdened by guilt and resentment, begins blackmailing the group, threatening to expose their crime. Tensions escalate as his behavior becomes increasingly erratic. The others, fearing exposure, conspire to kill him. Richard, though uneasy, goes along with the plan.

Part Four: The Aftermath

Bunny is lured to a ravine and pushed to his death. The group struggles with paranoia and guilt as the police investigate. Their relationships fracture under the strain—Charles descends into alcoholism, Camilla distances herself, and Francis attempts suicide. Henry, the mastermind, ultimately takes his own life.

Epilogue

Years later, Richard reflects on the events with lingering guilt. He remains haunted by the group’s downfall, the allure of beauty and intellect that led them to ruin, and the irreversible consequences of their actions.

Key Ideas

• The corrupting influence of elitism and intellectual obsession.
• The blurred line between morality and aestheticism.
• The destructive power of guilt and secrecy.
• The allure and danger of charismatic authority.
• The psychological weight of complicity in crime.