Welcome to the first edition of Riverdale supplemental readings. While I’ve now finished my rewatch of all seven seasons of the television show, I wanted to talk a bit more about some additional content, including films and books, related to the Riverdale universe! In this week’s newsletter, I’m sharing a recommendation list of some Riverdale-adjacent books you might be interested in reading.
Riverdale was somewhat infamous for its copious references to pop culture, including films and books, within the text and universe of the show, as well as in episode titles borrowed from and storylines inspired by other works. In thinking about this, I compiled a massive list of the novels and works referenced in the show in these various ways. The recommendations I’m sharing today are a few works of Riverdalian literature that I think are particularly pioneering, influential, or iconic.
While this list is Riverdale oriented, I would genuinely recommend reading any of these books, and it actually includes a few of my favourite novels.
Seven essential Riverdale reads:
The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
Where could I possibly begin a Riverdale reading list besides here? Within the show, the book makes a few appearances, and is one of Jughead’s favourites, even providing a lot of the inspiration(down to the obvious homage title) for his own novel, The Outcasts. There are also some clear parallels drawn by the writers of the programme between the story of The Outsiders and the show’s Northside vs. Southside plotlines, and especially the experiences of the Southside Serpents in early seasons of the show, who are very reminiscent of Hinton’s greaser characters.
Even the names of characters feel very Riverdalian - Ponyboy, Sodapop, and Cherry would fit in perfectly in Riverdale’s southside alongside Sweet Pea, Jellybean, and Tall Boy.
Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
Nabokov’s novel has become ubiquitous in pop culture1 so it comes as no surprise that it makes appearances throughout Riverdale. Early on, we see the iconography of the Kubrick film version of this story in the character of Geraldine Grundy, a teacher who grooms and starts a relationship with a student. In season one, she appears wearing the heart shaped sunglasses made famous by the film poster in a way that echoes the ‘Lolita’ archetype, mirroring some of the predatory dynamics of the original story. These glasses recur as a motif in the 1950s era of season 7.2
The novel itself makes a more explicit and nuanced appearance in season seven, when Dr. Werthers compares Betty to the idea of the ‘nymphet’ which appears in the novel, and Betty confronts him about his misinterpration and dangerous beliefs about the book and the titular character, who is not the seductress that the narrator and many poor interpretations of his story depict her as, but a child experiencing severe abuse.
The novel also fits into this season’s storyline about access to knowledge and the dangers of censorship — the novel is a famous banned book, one that remains controversial nearly seventy years after publication — and Betty and Jughead discuss the publication of the work and the nuances Lolita as a story and a work of art. I have to agree with them, here - the novel is an incredible work of writing, showcasing Nabokov’s masterful prose, a deeply disturbing unreliable narrator, and a heartwrenching yet darkly humorous story of obsession and abuse.
Beloved by Toni Morrison
This recommendation goes all the way back to Riverdale’s first season, where we learn that Toni Morrison is Betty’s favourite author in the pilot episode, and later in the season Jughead gifts her a copy of Beloved. While otherwise it might not be the most Riverdale specific book recommendation, it’s such a good book that I think it deserves a spot on the list anyway! I read this novel as a high school student, and it remains one of the most impactful novels I've ever read.
The Secret History by Donna Tartt
The cult classic campus novel first appeared on screen being read by Veronica Lodge in season 2, but it is not until season 4 that the The Secret History influence really takes over Riverdale when Jughead begins attending Stonewall Prep and meets classmate Donna Sweett. Much like the novel’s protagonist, Jughead soon finds himself drawn into an elite and unusual class of students, and secrets abound, leading the insular group to commit an act of violence against one of their own.
While the mysteries surrounding this group definitely differ from the plot of The Secret History, the characters, setting, and atmosphere of this part of the show definitely seem to draw on the novel, as well as the life of its author and her own experiences with a cohort of writers including Bret Easton Ellis(inspiration for Riverdale’s Bret Weston Wallace3) at Bennington College. I absolutely loved this arc on Riverdale, and love the novel that inspired it even more.
The Price of Salt or Carol by Patricia Highsmith
“This is the price of salt, Cheryl!”
Someone(or everyone) on the Riverdale writing staff is definitely a Patricia Highsmith fan, because she comes up quite a bit - her name appears in the fictional Highsmith College(the above quote comes from Penelope Blossom threatening her daughter Cheryl’s hopes of applying to be a student there), Kevin is seen reading The Talented Mr. Ripley in an episode, and a parody appears in season 7 when characters read a book called “The Cost of Pepper”.
Highsmith’s novel is a significant work of lesbian literature, and while its publishing history was troubled and controversial, it has become a classic, and is perhaps best known to modern audiences thanks to the 2015 film adaptation.
Carrie by Stephen King
Carrie, the debut novel and cult classic by Stephen King is probably the quintessential Riverdalian novel. Riverdale as a show is very indebted to the work of Stephen King - it references numerous works in dialogue and episode titles, characters are often seen reading his books, season 6 in particular draws heavily on his premises, and the show notably features an episode based on the musical adaptation of his first novel, Carrie. Among other works explicitly referenced are The Green Mile and The Stand, while the plots of Christine, Needful Things, and others all provide inspiration for certain arcs.
Here, I’m recommending Carrie, both because it is the one I have read, but also because I think its impact on Riverdale is massive, earning it a spot on the list as the Stephen King representative. The most obvious influence in the show is the “Carrie” special episode, where the students participate in a performance of the musical adaptation of the novel. Elsewhere, the dynamics of high school life, bullying, and the horrors of teenagehood depicted in Carrie resonate with the high school narratives and teen movie clichés that appear throughout Riverdale.
The Crucible by Arthur Miller
Written amidst the backdrop of McCarthyism in 1953, this play tells a story set during the Salem Witch Trials of 1690. These two American stories of persecution and the frenzy of paranoia and fear that drives it, and this is a recurring theme in Riverdale as the small town and its community face new threats and must band together or fall apart. The inspiration taken from Miller’s writing comes most clearly in the final three seasons of the show. First, the introduction of Abigail Blossom, a witch burned by the frightened townsfolk of Riverdale is obviously inspired by the folklore of Salem in the American psyche, as well as the way it is depicted in The Crucible, and the name Abigail is likely a reference to the play. These characters and the surrounding themes crop up again throughout season 6, and in particular in an episode that parallels the lives of Abigail Blossom and Poppy Blossom, a woman accused of being a communist in 1950s Riverdale, parallel stories which are reminiscent of the allegory at the centre of The Crucible. Later in the season, we learn that a deal with the devil was made in the original colonial settlement that would become Riverdale, once again calling on the imagery of the devil’s sacrament at Salem.
In season 7, the play appears not just through its textual influence, but in a new form, when the students of Riverdale High read it and Archie performs a monologue for his class, once again directly paralleling the plight of John Proctor in The Crucible with anti-communist persecution in 1950s America.
As always, I love any excuse to talk about the weird world of Riverdale, and I had a lot of fun putting these recommendations together and finally reading some classic books that I wanted to include here. I’m hoping to do another one of these soon, perhaps with a focus on mystery, horror, or some other genre(there are a lot of these in Riverdale!).
If you have any reading recommendations, things you want to see in the next supplemental Riverdale newsletter, opinions on the books included here - please leave a comment or get in touch, I would love to hear your thoughts!
One more thing — to end this week’s newsletter, I wanted to share a bit of this poem by Lucia Perillo, which reminded me of the folkloric cultural landscape of Riverdale:
“Urban Legend”
Like many stories, this one begins with Jesus—
well, he sure looks like Jesus, this guy pulled over by a ditch.
…
This is not a joke because the story wants to go into the record.
Yes, it does want. The story has a little mind that thinks.
And the mind sends its ambassadors: these poodles nuked in microwaves,
bonsai kittens, sewer crocodiles, rats suckled in maternity wards.
I believe in the fatal hairdo just for the love of saying fatal hairdo.
And I believe in the stolen kidney because I too have woken up with something missing.
But I haven’t spoken yet of the rapture, another word whose sayingis like dancing at a toga party after downing many shots.
Because who hasn’t tried to pull their arms from the sleeves of gravity’s lead coat?
Who doesn’t have at least one pair of wax wings out in the garage?
So back to Jesus, back to daylight, and you can make the dimwit me
who launches herself into the updraft of the rapture
and goes sailing straight through the story’s sunroof.
…
And you, Earth angel, fear not my crash landing in the diamond lane —
the vinyl men are full of noble gas, and I’m rising on my balsa wings.
your Riverdale guardian angel,
isobel
Usually not interpreted or represented accurately, but alas…
Although this time, they appear on Cheryl - I think this is definitely mean to be intentional as a call back, but the symbolic resonance is lost. Interestingly, this is also the season that breaks the cycle of abuse and grooming in the relationship with Archie and Miss Grundy; when she returns to the show she handles their relationship far more responsibly and acts as a mentor to Archie.
Sorry to this man for not including him on the list, his work was a last minute cut because I still have not gotten around to reading a certain Riverdale-related novel :( better luck on the next reading list Bret!
oh i'm living for this! love the patricia highsmith inclusion <3