Latest Posts by ad-meliora-tendo - Page 4

Bacchanale, 1871, Lawrence Alma-Tadema

Medium: oil,canvas

sorry i can’t hang out today, i read a richard siken poem so now i have to cry for ten hours

*dives out the window* the forest is calling my name

Philip de László - Portrait of Cecile Rankin, 1937 (detail), oil on canvas

it's hard being a hopeless romantic, literature loving, tea addicted, gay poet

i really like being pretentious and all but what i actually like even more is that i'm genuinely so invested in this hunt for knowledge that i'm on. like,,,, i do wanna know every work of shakespeare by heart and i do wanna read the night away draped over second hand philosophy books and a worn out volume of the illiad and i do wanna quote french poetry and oscar wilde at social events and i wanna be what history would call an intellectual and i wanna live and breathe these things i care about because i have a deep and consuming passion for them and i want to be as immersed in them as possible.

Dark Academia things I do without noticing

- Having a ridiculous amount of tabs open of Wikipedia pages about ancient paintings, essays about Plato’s books and information about ivy league university’s.

- Listening to Hozier, Lana del Rey, classical music and slowed down versions of pop songs.

- Carrying notebooks, now twice the size as they were when I first bought them, filled with notes, paintings, lose papers with sketches and Latin words and their definition. 

- Finishing a book and immediately starting another one.

- Staying up till sunrise while drinking tea and reading poetry.

bridge of sighs, cambridge | ig: studyplants

And the nights, bigger than imagining: black and gusty and enormous, disordered and wild with stars.

just imagine

you are at a small liberal arts college in vermont, you study classics, and now you are sitting in the library which smells like dust, old books, and france. you and your small circle of friends with whom you study classics are sitting on the floor in a corner of the library where nobody goes at nearly two in the morning, with all of the old greek, french, and latin books. you are all studying or working on papers or translating books in silence, except for classical music playing on a radio next to you with the volume soft enough that only the few of you can hear it in your little corner of the library. the smell of coffee and tea mixes and wafts around all of you from the small disposable Styrofoam cups that are sitting on the carpet, which you got from the teachers lounge since your classics teacher allows you to go in there and raid it whenever you please. in the middle of the circle of all of you is a variety of stationery scattered in a jumble: pens (fountain and ballpoint), loose leaf papers with unspecified scrawled writing, a lexicon, and other writing and studying tools. suddenly, your friend sitting next to you, with whom you are closest in the group, taps you and slips you a paper discreetly. you unfold it and it says, “cubitum eamus?” you look up, make sure no one is looking, and nod.

Thoreau said, “Most men lead lives of quiet desperation.” Don’t be resigned to that. Break out! Break out! Now is the time!

DEAD POETS SOCIETY 1989 | Peter Weir

imagine studying in the library after school and taking a nap in the poetry section with Oscar Wilde’s the picture of Dorian grey on your lap, so then at closing time they have to wake you up, then you bike home as the sunsets.

One of my favorite Oscar Wilde letter

OSCAR WILDE TO LORD ALFRED DOUGLAS

January 1893

Babbacombe Cliff

My own Boy,

Your sonnet is quite lovely, and it is a marvel that those rose-red lips of yours should have been made no less for the music of song than for the madness of kisses. Your slim gilt soul walks between passion and poetry. I know Hyacinthus, whom Apollo loved so madly, was you in Greek days.

Why are you alone in London, and when do you go to Salisbury? Do go there to cool your hands in the grey twilight of Gothic things, and come here whenever you like. It is a lovely place – it only lacks you; but go to Salisbury first.

Always, with undying love,

Yours,

Oscar

“The more I read, the more I acquire, the more certain I am that I know nothing.”

— Voltaire (via philosophyquotes)

I recommend constructing a detailed image of who you want to be and how you want your life to be, down to all the details (love-life, work, money, your home, day to day life, etc). Flesh it out fully and let your heart and desires govern the whole thing, don’t hold back at all, create your ideal life. And everyday think about it - and feel it. Feel it as if your life is already that way. And make all your decisions according to its ultimate fulfillment. Get in touch with your values, what’s really important to you, and let them guide you.

*adjusts Victorian shirt* What do you mean? *writes poetry with an expensive fountain pen* Am I really  *drinks Absinthe* too dramatic?! *flings herself on a 19th century chaise lounge* Don’t be ridiculous!

living the dark academia life

messy handwriting and even messier notebooks, doodles of skulls with sunflowers dangling from their eyes

burning the corners of pages, an older look given to them, the smell of ancient given to your room

wearing the cheapest, largest brown sweaters and the most comfortable, softest cream skirts

classical music softly bouncing on each one of the walls in your room, a list of your favorite composers pinned to your wall

a black ring on your finger, your hands wrapped around a warm cup of tea

your eyes closing softly from spending too much time reading, a candle to keep you company

the wet tip of your finger, the turning of yet another page

soft brown on your eyelids, gloss on your lips

long studying session in the library, you’re curled up on your chair, seven academic books are sitting next to your side, three articles are waiting to be read

stains around the edges of your nails, your skin painted with ink

a book in your bag, a pen used as a bookmark to annotate everything that makes your hands shake

a leather belt around your waist, your old grandpa’s sweatshirt tucked in has not gone to waste

standing right in the centre of a museum, sketching the outline of a sculture, scribbling down everything there is to know about a painting – in this, your hands are still stained

letting the rain softly caress your hair, carrying an umbrella to match your velvet trousers

a smile on your face when writing an essay, a yawn from your mouth when you finally go to sleep – after your eyelids are closed, psychedelic, dark and soft dreams are reaching your mind

I’ve seen a lot of curious people wanting to dive into classical music but don’t know where to start, so I have written out a list of pieces to listen to depending on mood. I’ve only put out a few, but please add more if you want to. hope this helps y’all out. :)

stereotypical delightful classical music:

battalia a 10 in d major (biber)

brandenburg concerto no. 5

brandenburg concerto no. 3

symphony no. 45 - “farewell” (haydn)

if you need to chill:

rondo alla turca

fur elise

anitra’s dance

in the steppes of central asia (borodin) (added by viola-ology)

if you need to sleep:

moonlight sonata

swan lake

corral nocturne

sleep (eric whitacre) (added by thelonecomposer)

if you need to wake up:

morning mood

summer (from the four seasons)

buckaroo holiday (if you’ve played this in orch you might end up screaming instead of waking up joyfully)

if you are feeling very proud:

pomp and circumstance

symphony no. 9 (beethoven; this is where ode to joy came from)

1812 overture

symphony no. 5, finale (tchaikovsky) (added by viola-ology)

american (dvořák)

if you feel really excited:

hoedown (copland)

bacchanale

spring (from the four seasons) (be careful, if you listen to this too much you’ll start hating it)

la gazza ladra

death and the maiden (schubert)

if you are angry and you want to take a baseball bat and start hitting a bush:

dance of the knights (from the romeo and juliet suite by prokofiev)

winter, mvt. 1 (from the four seasons)

symphony no. 10 mvt. 2 (shostakovich)

symphony no. 5 (beethoven)

totentanz (liszt)

quartet no. 8, mvt. 2 (shostakovich) (added by viola-ology)

young person’s guide to the orchestra, fugue (britten) (added by iwillsavemyworld)

symphony no. 5 mvt. 4 (shostakovich) (added by eternal-cadenza)

marche slave (tchaikovsky) (added by eternal-cadenza)

if you want to cry for a really long time:

fantasia based on russian themes (rimsky-korsakov)

adagio for strings (barber)

violin concerto in e minor (mendelssohn)

aase’s death

andante festivo

vocalise (rachmaninoff) (added by tropicalmunchakoopas)

if you want to feel like you’re on an adventure:

an american in paris (gershwin)

if you want chills:

danse macabre

russian easter overture

egmont overture (added by shayshay526)

if you want to study:

eine kleine nachtmusik

bolero (ravel)

serenade for strings (elgar)

scheherazade (rimsky-korsakov) (added by viola-ology)

pines of rome, mvt. 4 (resphigi) (added by viola-ology)

if you really want to dance:

capriccio espagnol (rimsky-korsakov)

blue danube

le cid (massenet) (added by viola-ology)

radetzky march

if you want to start bouncing in your chair:

hopak (mussorgsky)

les toreadors (from carmen suite no.1)

if you’re about to pass out and you need energy:

hungarian dance no. 1

hungarian dance no. 5

if you want to hear suspense within music:

firebird

in the hall of the mountain king

ride of the valkyries

night on bald mountain (mussorgsky) (added by viola-ology)

if you want a jazzy/classical feel:

rhapsody in blue

jazz suite no. 2 (shostakovich) (added by eternal-cadenza)

if you want to feel emotional with no explanation:

introduction and rondo capriccioso

unfinished symphony (schubert)

symphony no. 7, allegretto (beethoven) (added by viola-ology)

canon in d (pachelbel)

if you want to sit back and have a nice cup of tea:

st. paul’s suite

concerto for two violins (vivaldi)

l’arlésienne suite

concierto de aranjuez (added by tropicalmunchakoopas)

pieces that don’t really have a valid explanation:

symphony no. 40 (mozart)

cello suite no. 1 (bach)

polovtsian dances

enigma variations (elgar) (added by viola-ology)

perpetuum mobile

moto perpetuo (paganini)

pieces that just sound really cool:

scherzo tarantelle

dance of the goblins

caprice no. 24 (paganini)

new world symphony, allegro con fuoco (dvorak) (added by viola-ology​)

le tombeau de couperin (added by tropicalmunchakoopas)

carnival of the animals (added by shadowraven45662)

if you feel like listening to concertos all day (I do not recommend doing that):

concerto for two violins (bach)

concerto for two violins (vivaldi)

violin concerto in a minor (vivaldi)

violin concerto (tchaikovsky) (added by iwillsavemyworld)

violin concerto in d minor (sibelius) (added by eternal-cadenza)

cello concerto in c (haydn)

piano concerto, mvt. 1 (pierne) (added by iwillsavemyworld)

harp concerto in E-flat major, mvt. 1 (added by iwillsavemyworld)

and if you really just hate classical music in general:

4′33″ (cage)

a lot of these pieces apply in multiple categories, but I sorted them by which I think they match the most. have fun exploring classical music!

also, thank you to viola-ology, iwillsavemyworld, shayshay526, eternal-cadenza, tropicalmunchakoopas, shadowraven45662, and thelonecomposer for adding on! if you would like to add on your own suggestions, please reblog and add on or message me so I can give you credit for the suggestion!

“We mistook violence for passion, indolence for leisure, and thought recklessness was freedom.”

~ Toni Morrison (The Bluest Eye)

““Read a thousand books, and your words will flow like a river.””

— Lisa See

The Brothers Karamavoz, Fyodor Dostoevsky //The Goldfinch, Donna Tartt // Trainspotting, Irvine Welsh

@halfbloodsnet​ quest # 0 : godly parents [greek goddess of wisdom, handicraft, and warfare: athena]

I get why people say dark academia is not healthy but let’s talk about the romanticism. I read again and again poems of things so trivial one might just take them for granted or overlook them, yet the poets give them life and importance and beauty. This way of falling in love with an open window, the light tap of the rain, the endless piles of books, the sunshine peeking through the curtains. This is what dark academia is really about. Making poetry out of overlooked events

hi! i was hoping you could help me out. i’m really interested in the dark academia ‘lifestyle’ (if that’s what you call it?) but not necessarily the fashion. what kinds of things do dark academics do? basically i guess i’m asking how can i be a dark academic? i hope this makes sense. thanks

Hihi! Yes I can definitely give some tips. Dark academia has a lot of associations so you can pick and choose what you vibe with, but here is what dark academia means to me personally:

1) Love of learning: what really stands out to me is the constant searching for new ideas and the love of knowledge. It could mean studying at school really hard, or researching miscellaneous topics in depth because you just love to expand what you know; always being curious. Persoanlly, this also means being open minded to new information and able to unlearn things too. This is related to -

2) Love of reading: as academia itself is tied to reading, many people have a passion for books, literature, and poetry. There isn’t a specific style of book you have to read, but if you like reading try diversifying your genres and seeing if you enjoy the classics, some non-fiction, young adult, whatever you enjoy. Check out your local libraries, listen to audiobooks, keep a book in your bag - whatever works for you! Also you don’t have to read the classic DA books (The Secret History, etc.) unless you actually want to!!

3) Appreciation of art, music, beauty, architecture: appreciating the arts can mean a few things. You can actively go to museums, galleries, read up on artists you enjoy, visit places with unique architecture, listen to classical music and the like. But I feel it can also mean just being aware of the beauty in your environment, and noticing small moments in life that others might miss. Maybe you pass a building that has a particularly beautiful stone archway, or you stop to listen to a violinist outside the subway station, or you tuck a postcard of a favourite painting into your notebooks or doodle meaningful lyrics on a napkin. Not everyone has a huge museum near them!

Let me quickly say what dark academia DOESN’T mean to me:

Being elitist or classist: so much of the aesthetic is rooted in classism, being privileged (e.g. going to private schools and fancy universities, looking down at people who aren’t seemingly as “smart” or “worldly” as you), which I think is harmful to both others and yourself. I believe the true spirit of DA is to be kind and inclusive! There is also the aesthetic of copious amounts of alcohol and drugs and caffeine but personally I try to keep it a healthier lifestyle haha.

There is no one way to enjoy DA, so have fun with it, find your own style, and respect others!

Yet more chaotic academia things:

Reciting Shakespeare to pets or inanimate objects, giving the most heart-wrenching, dramatic, and over-the-top performance known to man.

Highlighting only the homoerotic subtext in any given piece of literature.

Writing anonymous complaint letters to publishing companies, for the most insignificant flaws in printing. Just because of their boredom.

Constantly whistling "William Tell Overture".

Getting ink everywhere.

Always needing to pee because of the extortionate amounts of caffeine they drink.

Stitching a communist star to their beret.

80s meets Victorian gothic.

One squeaky shoe.

Making paper aeroplanes out of discarded essay pages, to launch at any and every unsuspecting stranger in the library.

To Night, Percy Bysshe Shelley 

 "Death will come when thou art dead, Soon, too soon— Sleep will come when thou art fled; Of neither would I ask the boon I ask of thee, belovèd Night— Swift be thine approaching flight, Come soon, soon!“ 

Classic literature

I wanna find my real self in 2020. I will read everything, finally start writing Poetry and travel. I will be productive. I will put myself first, take care of my skin, put good food in my body, save money and stay away from negativity and drama, especially not start drama ( so important) I wanna bury my past negative self while still honouring her, I just hope I become who i truly am.

Few quotes from The Picture of Dorian Gray

People are afraid of themselves, nowadays. They feed the hungry and clothe the beggar. But their own souls starve, and are naked.

You will always be loved, and you will always be in love with love.

Nowadays most people die of a sort of creeping common sense, and discover when it is too late that the only things one never regrets are one’s mistakes.

He lives the poetry that he cannot write. The others write the poetry that they dare not realize.

There are many things that we would throw away if we were not afraid that others might pick them up.

Nowadays people know the price of everything and the value of nothing.

The reason we all like to think so well of others is that we are all afraid for ourselves. The basis of optimism is sheer terror.

I love acting. It is so much more real than life.

If this girl can give a soul to those who have lived without one, if she can create the sense of beauty in people whose lives have been sordid and ugly, if she can strip them of their selfishness and lend them tears for sorrows that are not their own, she is worthy of all your adoration, worthy of the adoration of the world.

One can always be kind to people about whom one cares nothing.

We live in an age that reads too much to be wise, and that thinks too much to be beautiful.

If thought could exercise its influence upon a living organism, might not thought exercise an influence upon dead and inorganic things? Nay, without thought or conscious desire, might not things external to ourselves vibrate in unison with our moods and passions, atom calling to atom in secret love or strange affinity?

It is said that passion makes one think in a circle.