Dark AcademiaDonna Tartt ยท 1992

The Secret History in Emojis

Elite classics students commit murder โ€” and unravel โ€” in emoji.

A scholarship outsider joins an elite, insular circle of classics students at a Vermont college, whose obsession with ancient Greek ideals leads them to a killing โ€” and a slow moral collapse.

The plot in emoji

The Secret History emoji summary, decoded

Here's what each part of the emoji story means, beat by beat.

  1. ๐Ÿ›๏ธ๐Ÿ“šRichard joins six exclusive Greek students under a magnetic professor.
  2. ๐Ÿท๐ŸŒฟThey chase Dionysian ecstasy through the ancient classics.
  3. โ›ฐ๏ธ๐Ÿ’€A bacchanal in the woods ends with a farmer accidentally killed.
  4. ๐Ÿ”ช๐ŸฉธTo stop him talking, they murder their friend Bunny.
  5. โ„๏ธ๐Ÿ•ณ๏ธHis body isn't found until the snow melts weeks later.
  6. ๐Ÿคซ๐Ÿ˜จGuilt, paranoia, and drink corrode the group from within.
  7. ๐Ÿ‘ฅ๐Ÿ’”The circle disintegrates in betrayal and death.

The cast of The Secret History in emoji

The main characters, one emoji each โ€” tap any to copy.

๐Ÿ“–
Richard

The outsider narrator.

๐ŸŽฉ
Henry

The brilliant, chilling ringleader.

๐Ÿ”ช
Bunny

The friend they kill.

The Secret History emoji set

A copyable set of emojis that capture the book's vibe. Tap any emoji, or copy them all.

Did you know?

The novel is often credited with launching the whole 'dark academia' aesthetic decades before it took over social media.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is The Secret History in emojis?
The Secret History by Donna Tartt can be summed up in emojis as: ๐Ÿ›๏ธ๐Ÿ“š๐Ÿท๐ŸŒฟ๐Ÿ”ช๐Ÿฉธโ„๏ธ๐Ÿ‘ฅ๐Ÿคซโ›ฐ๏ธ๐Ÿ˜ถ โ€” a shorthand emoji plot summary you can copy and share.
How do you describe The Secret History with emojis?
Break the story into its key beats and pick one or two emojis for each โ€” the setting, the main characters, the turning point, and the ending. The decoded summary above shows one way to do it for The Secret History.
What can I use these book emojis for?
Copy the The Secret History emoji summary into a book-club chat, a BookTok or Instagram caption, a reading challenge, or a 'guess the book from emojis' game.

More books in emoji

The Secret History Emoji โ€” Plot Summary in Emojis | CopyEmoji