Light As A Feather

light as a feather

Which actually reminded me of this one fanmade trailer which is the absolute coolest thing and lives in my head rent free

Once again thinking about the fact that I really want a TSH series adaptation.

Would it suck? Most likely, yes. It would be extremely difficult (impossible?) to show Richard's unreliable narration. And there are so many little things, interactions and details which actually make the story what it is, that it would take a lot of time to cover them all on screen, even with a series – so, much of it would probably have to be cut out, and the overall thing would be affected by it.

Still... I think that it could be done. It would in no way compare to the novel, because of course it wouldn't, but I'm sure it has the potential to be something very good.

Especially since it could give the same feeling of the book through visuals. The atmosphere being colorful and warm when Richard first arrives at Hampden, only for it to gradually become darker and colder as the plot unravels (Bunny's murder being the event after which the shift becomes more evident), along with the characters becoming progressively more unsettling and less aesthetic – which is really how it felt to me.

Camilla going from the most adored member of the Greek Class to being all alone in the epilogue psychologically damaged me.

tags: @branchus

Wait this gave me some thoughts. The book was definitely more immersive since we were following Richard's life directly from inside his head and living his own experiences with the rest of them, which is what made us, too, become attached and later repulsed by them. We had to listen to Richard's thoughts and opinions, which is, I think, what led most of us to still be somewhat smitten by them even after everything was said and done – because by then we had known them just as much as Richard had.

With a tv adaptation, though, as much as they could try following Richard's view of the events, the pov would inevitably have to be external – so we could see things from a more objective pespective from the very start. And I'm thinking the visuals might actually help bring the message across even more in this case.

The aesthetics would be even more captivating (as op said pretty characters, suggestive ambiences and so on) and it would be even easier to fall for them – but the opposite might also be true. Maybe without being influenced by Richard's words, and literally seeing the whole mood and them all changing for the worse, we would be able to detach ourselves more easily and see things as they really are, and that "oh no" moment when everything starts falling apart would hit even harder. Because it would be not only emotionally but even visually striking, and because this time it wasn't Richard the first to fall victim to their charms, but ourselves. Which actually would make it even better – you would feel exactly like Richard himself did, except for the fact that this time it wasn't because of his narration, but because of your own longing for the picturesque.

It's not the same as his unreliable narration, but I think it could be effective still, in a different way!

Once again thinking about the fact that I really want a TSH series adaptation.

Would it suck? Most likely, yes. It would be extremely difficult (impossible?) to show Richard's unreliable narration. And there are so many little things, interactions and details which actually make the story what it is, that it would take a lot of time to cover them all on screen, even with a series – so, much of it would probably have to be cut out, and the overall thing would be affected by it.

Still... I think that it could be done. It would in no way compare to the novel, because of course it wouldn't, but I'm sure it has the potential to be something very good.

Especially since it could give the same feeling of the book through visuals. The atmosphere being colorful and warm when Richard first arrives at Hampden, only for it to gradually become darker and colder as the plot unravels (Bunny's murder being the event after which the shift becomes more evident), along with the characters becoming progressively more unsettling and less aesthetic – which is really how it felt to me.

I do have an explanation for this actually!! I first saw it being mentioned in one review of TSH I saw on YT, which I will link as soon as I'm able to find it again.

The Secret History was written by Procopius of Cesarea, a Greek historian who lived from 500 AD to 565 AD, so at the time of Justinian's empire. He got to accompany Justinian's general during his war campaigns, and so he was commissioned most likely by Justinian himself to write about the wars (History of the Wars) and his deeds in favor of the Empire and its subjects (Buildings).

The thing, though, is that since Procopius had written his works on Justinian's behalf, it's believed that many of his accounts in regards to Justinian and his court were not exactly true. Especially since historians actually found some discrepancies between Procopius' words and those of other historians, as in him attributing Justinian merits for things he hadn't actually done and so on. He also presents the Emperor and the people surrounding him in a way that's very idealized to the point of sounding exaggerated.

But then Procopius wrote another work, The Secret History, which actually he had published after his death, in fear that he could have angered Justinian and possibly be sentenced to death had it come out during his life. In The Secret History, Procopius talks about Justinian in a totally opposite way of how he did in his previous works – as opposed to idolizing him, he paints him as cruel and even incompetent in ruling. He claims to expose all the secrets, personal lives, scandals, rumors, everything bad he knows about Justinian, his wife and even his general, to show how they actually were and his actual thoughts about them, which he was forced to hide in his other works.

(It's also debated if The Secret History itself has to be considered accurate, because it's believed that it could have been just a safety measure for Procopius to use to distance himself from the court had Justinian's government been overthrown, to show he wasn't actually loyal to him and not get in trouble with the new ruler, so we don't know for sure, but anyways.)

How all of this connects to TSH by Donna Tartt is that the way Richard talks about the Greek class is pretty much exactly the same as Procopius. For most of the book Richard treats them as superior, tries to hide their faults and justify their actions, and tries showing them as he saw them at first – good people he admired. Only for the illusion to slowly break during Book II, in which inevitably things start being shown as they actually were, and Richard becomes as disillusioned with them as Procopius did with Justinian.

Of course this is just what I found so if anyone knows better feel free to correct me or add things!!

Yesterday I found this book, its set in the late Roman Empire and there is no way it isn’t related to The Secret History.

The fact that The Secret History began with Richard’s attraction to the pretty pictures in a brochure.

The fact that it all started with that longing for picturesque.