The novel self-consciously situates itself within the category of dark academia. Characteristic features of this currently popular thematic aesthetic include self-discovery narratives, romanticizing education and passion for knowledge, danger, mystery, and murder, decadence, secret societies, drugs, and cults, and murder. All of these elements feature prominently in The Maidens, shaping its plot, setting, and character development.

Mariana’s emotional arc in the novel is one of self-discovery, as she must let go of the fantasy she has constructed of her past. Buildings and lands around Cambridge are described lavishly, and Mariana idealizes her time at university with Sebastian as a time of love and learning. The copy of In Memoriam that Clarissa gave Mariana brims with romantic overtones: “The years had dehydrated the pages, warping and stiffening them, leaving ripples and waves. She cracked open the book and stroked the rough pages with her fingertips” (90). The Maidens are a cultish, secret society engaged in dangerous activities, and three of its members become murder victims. 

An allusion is an indirect reference either to another work of art or to a well-known person, place, historical event, concept, etc. Given its academic setting, many of The Maidens’ references to literature are explicit.