Education

Even if it's not your thing, you're probably familiar with the term dark academia.

- MORIAH RICHARD

It's a subgenre that often includes things like secret societies and magic or the supernatural and themes of intellectualism, obsession, and elitism. It is generally placed in-surprise!― an academic setting like a private school or university.

Dark academia is one of those interesting subgenres that is so flexible, it can be used in horror, mystery, and even general fiction. You see it employed in young adult literature (like Ace of Spades by Faridah Abíké-ĺyímídé or A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik) and adult (Babel by R. F. Kuang or Donna Tartt's The Secret History). It's a subgenre that is only gaining more popularity as time passes.

But dark academia is just one way you can utilize education in your books. Even if your story isn't set in a school or doesn't deal with school-aged characters, you must have a basic understanding of how education is utilized and affects the people in your world. For the purpose of this article, formal education refers to an organized and regulated system that follows a curriculum and provides certifications or degrees. Let's get into it!

ELEMENTS OF EDUCATION

Let's imagine a high fantasy story where a young woman has traveled from a distant, rural land and arrived in the country's capital. She was never formally trained to read and write, though she knows enough to get by, and she's very savvy when it comes to mental math. What would her opportunities be? She wouldn't be able to work most jobs that require more familiarity with written language, though she might be able to get by with a business bookkeeping job if she can use her own devised system of writing. How would others view her? Would they look down on her for being less educated than they are or would they see themselves in her because they also weren't afforded opportunities for formal education? Would she be able to pursue an apprenticeship or apply for higher learning if she so desired?