November is a strange month. Smack between the cheerful autumn festivities of October and the comforting cozy joy of December, November is brooding, dark, and thoughtful. Despite the darkening of the month, late autumn has become a time to turn inward and invest in storytelling—in art, books, and movies. If I had to narrow down a theme of the month, it’d be learning to delight in art again. Renewing my sense of wonder. I’ve been pulling out the cardigans, the face masks, the heavy books, the twinkly lights, reveling in coziness again…and here are a few of the things I’ve been loving along the way.
The King
Netflix’s new movie, The King, is a historical rendering of Henry V’s ascendance to the throne. Since Henry V is one of my favorite Shakespeare plays (The Hollow Crown tv adaption is amazing), I was over the moon excited to see how they reinterpreted the story in a modern retelling.
The King is a slow-paced story that builds up to a shattering climax. Unlike most modern films, this one is more interested in telling a good story than gripping the audience with unnecessary action sequences or fluffy plot devices. But the tight dialogue, breathtaking cinematography, and exceptional acting fascinated me from the start.
It also fascinates me how a story can be told in such different ways. William Shakespeare was under the patronage of the crown, so his telling of Henry V is patriotic in telling the glorious victory of Agincourt and Henry V’s victory in France. In The King, the battle of Agincourt is claustrophobic and muddy and not at all romanticized.
In literature, we talk a lot about how form follows function. In some cases, what the author says isn’t as important as how they say it. In The King, the soundtrack itself, with dark bass and lonely violin slipping in and out, feels lonely and untrustworthy. There were so many layered scenes and recurring motifs, that it wasn’t until I watched it again with my family that I realized how much meaning and foreshadowing is woven into the earlier scenes of the film. Although it’s not necessarily historically accurate, The King is absolutely worth watching.
Dark Academia
Dark academia is an aesthetic/a subgenre that centers around a group of young university students who are searching for meaning beyond normal life—which they find in Romantic poetry, Greek tragedy, or Shakespeare—and inevitably ends up in tragic death. Think Dead Poets Society.
Don’t know how I haven’t seen this sooner because it’s basically the reason I love academia. This month, I’ve begun reading a few books from the genre, specifically If We Were Villains and The Secret History. I made a playlist of moody classical music. I made a Pinterest board.
dark academia: the "mood"
ivy-colored university buildings, ravens on a branch, poetry books, annotation, candlelight, musty old books, morning mist, trench coats, cigarette smoke, studying the Romantics, chalkboards, foggy evenings, Oxford spires, a staircase, red wine, chess, tweed jackets, elegant cursive handwriting, studying at the library until midnight, wearing black, looking for constellations, Greek tragedies, autumn leaves skittering across the pavement, bicycles, cobblestone streets, statues, Gothic architecture, wistful violin music, reading Shakespeare, bitter black coffee.
Gilmore Girls
“How have you never seen Gilmore Girls?!”
Over the years, I’ve been asked this question quite a bit, especially as an English major who adores stories set in a small town. I’ve been told the show is “classic,” “cozy,” “feel good,” and “heartwarming”—and yet, with my usual disregard of overhyped TV shows, I figured Gilmore Girls was just another fluffy soap opera.
Well, I was wrong. My sister and I started watching it recently and my only question is how have I not seen this show before? It’s perfect. It’s funny and heartwarming and brimming over with witty banter, book references, small town shenanigans, lovely characters I feel like I’ve known all my life, and nostalgia. I’d happily tack Gilmore Girls up alongside Road to Avonlea and Lark Rise to Candleford in my list of favorite cozy escapist small-town tv shows.
“Hester” nail polish
The other day, I found this shade of nail polish that is the exact nutty autumnal mauve-red that belongs to November. The shade is called “hester”—which rhymes with sequester, consequently reminding me of a squirrel sequestering nuts for the winter—and is thus a very November-y word. I did some research on the brand, Tenoverten, and found that they specialize in making nail polishes that are cruelty-free, non-toxic, and vegan. It’s a pretty shade, perfect for Thanksgiving, but be warned: it chips easily.
Christmas music (sorry, not sorry)
At first I tried to console myself with orchestra music, or with classic jazz, but it didn’t quite do the trick. Eventually I broke down. Bring out the Amy Grant Christmas albums! Blast Handel’s Messiah! Thanksgiving falls so late this year anyway, so I’ve given up trying to wait until afterwards to blast all my favorite Christmas songs. Three weeks just aren’t enough to fully steep one’s self in the comfort and joy of Christmas carols.
I’ve been really loving this fireside Christmas jazz livestream from BGM, Joel Clarkson’s Midwinter Carols, and the classic Christmas carol playlists from Spotify.
In this in-between month, I hope you’re finding lots of cozy autumnal things to brighten up your days as well. I’ve been really enjoying reading books for the sheer fun of it again, not just to check them off the ever-growing To-Be-Read list. Match that up with brooding movies, feel-good tv shows, nostalgic Christmas music, and the promise of upcoming holiday celebrations? November can be quite wonderful.
Happy Thanksgiving,
<3 Olivia Grace
