The Secret History Prologue & Chapter 1 Summary & Analysis

Prologue & Chapter 1

Summary: Prologue

Richard Papen recalls the uproar that occurred around the disappearance of Bunny Corcoran, which caused a much greater disturbance than he and the others had anticipated. Still, their plan worked well in the end. Years later, Richard still finds it hard to believe he was involved in such an incident. He feels he has never left the top of the mountain, where Bunny was surprised to find them. While he may once have had other stories to tell, this is now the only story worth telling.

Summary: Chapter 1

Richard believes his fatal flaw has been his longing for whatever is picturesque, or visually attractive, no matter the cost. He grew up in Plano, California, with working-class parents who were indifferent to him. Richard first attended a small college in Plano where, out of convenience, he began studying ancient Greek. After a few unhappy years, Richard came across a brochure for Hampden College in Vermont. He was taken in by the idyllic New England images and the exclusivity of the school. After being accepted and negotiating financial aid, Richard transfers to Hampden. However, when attempting to sign up for Greek, Richard’s academic counselor, Georges Laforgue, tells him the school’s only Greek professor is very selective. The next day, Richard visits the office of the professor, Julian Morrow. Julian tells Richard he has reached his limit of five students.

Richard begins working for a psychology professor, Dr. Roland, and starts his classes. He hears more rumors about Julian Morrow and sees the group of his five students, four boys, and one girl, around campus. Though Richard thinks they seem unapproachable, he is fascinated by them. One day, Richard sees three of the students working together in the library and hears them arguing over the precise translation of a Greek text. Richard interrupts to make a suggestion, which impresses the students, a boy named Bunny and twins named Charles and Camilla. Another member of their group, Henry, joins and praises Richard for his knowledge of Greek. After getting an advance on his paycheck from Dr. Roland by lying about needing car repairs, Richard buys a few new outfits. The next day, Richard visits Julian again and is invited into the office. They have a conversation about several different topics, which Richard now realizes was heavily manipulated by Julian. Julian agrees to take Richard on as a student but says he must drop all his other classes. Though skeptical at first, Richard agrees because he is impressed by Julian’s other students.

Richard begins classes with Julian and the other students, the four he met in the library and a boy named Francis. The topic of the first-class centers on the loss of self. Julian explains how people strive to repress their primitive selves but that this is a mistake. He maintains that the more the primitive urges are repressed, the stronger they will become. Julian equates beauty with terror and explains that both lie in losing control completely. After class, Richard goes to the post office, where he finds in his mailbox a note from Bunny inviting him to lunch that Saturday.

Analysis: Prologue & Chapter 1

The prologue of the novel reveals something that might otherwise have remained a mystery—the fact that by the end of the novel, Bunny will die at the hands of Richard and his classmates. By establishing this fact in the prologue, the novel is more of a “whydunnit” than a “whodunnit.” Along with the other main characters, Bunny is introduced in Chapter 1 and seems like an ordinary college student. If anything, Bunny is more welcoming to Richard, the outsider, than any of the other students. Therefore, the idea that he will eventually be murdered by his classmates seems even more puzzling. However, by introducing Bunny’s fate as a foregone conclusion before recounting the events themselves, the author allows readers to focus on the factors that lead to Bunny’s death, rather than the shock of the death itself. In what would otherwise seem like a story about a typical rural college, knowing what will happen to Bunny helps the reader pay more attention to the interactions and relationships between the students.

Just as Richard has the benefit of hindsight in being able to tell the story of what led to Bunny’s death, as the narrator, he has a degree of self-awareness when looking back on his personality flaws. As someone with a lower-middle-class background, Richard was always obsessed with all things beautiful and upper-class. His narration suggests that he may not have become involved in Bunny’s death without this obsession. The fact that Richard is drawn to Hampden solely because of the brochure shows how easily he is persuaded by the picturesque, without thinking of any hidden drawbacks or even dangers that lie beneath. Richard allows his desire for beauty and status to propel him, with little consideration for anything else. Seeing the exclusivity and apparent sophistication of Julian’s students makes Richard determined to join the class, despite his misgivings about having to give up classes with other teachers. Richard also shows how he tries to hide his lack of privilege to be accepted by the others, even lying to his employer by pretending he’s financially able to own a car. In this way, Richard’s outlook and desires embody the theme of the superficiality of appearances. To Richard, appearances matter more than anything. However, as he hints, failing to examine beneath the surface will have disastrous results.

The theme of isolation is also introduced in these chapters. Hampden is already extremely isolated, located in a sparsely populated state tucked away in the northeastern corner of the country. This isolation is part of what attracts Richard to Hampden, as its remote location and exclusivity indicate that only very remarkable people attend Hampden. However, Richard chooses to isolate himself even further by joining Julian’s class. Again, Richard is enticed by the exclusionary nature of Julian’s class. He believes there must be something exceptional about him if he is accepted by Julian and if he can count himself as part of the group of students that impresses him so much. However, even Richard is initially skeptical of just how isolated he will be from the rest of the school, indicating the dangers that can accompany such complete isolation.

Next section Chapter 2