In the novels of Bret Easton Ellis and several other Brat Pack and Generation X authors, Camden College is a liberal arts college in New Hampshire. It is based on the real Bennington College, where Ellis and several of his author friends did their undergraduate degrees.
Appearances[]
- The works of Bret Easton Ellis
- Mentioned in Less Than Zero (1985)
- Setting of The Rules of Attraction (1987)
- Mentioned in American Psycho (1991)
- Mentioned in The Informers (1994)
- Mentioned in Glamorama (1998); features in flashbacks
- Mentioned in Lunar Park (2005)
- Mentioned in Imperial Bedrooms (2010)
- Jill Eisenstadt's From Rockaway (1987)
- Donna Tartt's The Secret History (1992), as Hampden College.
- Jonathan Lethem's The Fortress of Solitude (2002); located in Vermont.
Role[]
Camden College is a scene of debauchery; the students all take drugs, skip class, indulge in copious amounts of alcohol and sex. This attitude extends towards experimentation; Fictional Bret Ellis recounts that in his days at Camden, all the boys experimented with bisexuality (LP). Model Victor Ward (né Johnson) recounts that he did "the whole bi thing" when it was hip at college (Glam). Bret also remembers that his married neighbour Mitchell Allen had a fling with Paul Denton (LP), though after breaking up with Paul he did not want to admit to his gay liaison (TRoA87, TRoA02). Despite being the home of immense privelege, and the most expensive liberal arts college in America (TFoS), in Tartt and Eidenstat, Hampden/Camden is the college which the novels' bright, young, impoverished young males like Richard Papen aspire to attend. Their tuition and living expenses are paid through generous scholarships (FR, TSH).
Students and alumni[]
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- Clay becomes a famous screenwriter (IB).
- Daniel Carter becomes a famous movie producer (IB).
- Vanden
- Paul Denton
- Sean Bateman
- The real Lauren Hynde (TRoA87) dies in December 1985 (Glam). She is replaced by the agent Eva, who using her identity becomes a successful model, actress, and special agent working for Senator Johnson.
- Victor Johnson (later Ward)
- The real Jamie Fields apparently died in 1987 (Glam). Replaced by lookalike; who using her identity becomes a successful model, actress, and terrorist; one of the teams she played for was Bobby Hughes' terrorist organization.
- Lara Holleran (TRoA02 only)
- Kelly (TRoA02 only)
- Mitchell Allen later moved to Elsinore Lane with his wife and kids, living next door to novelist Bret Ellis.
- Candice
- Bertrand later became a terrorist working for supermodel Bobby Hughes (Glam).
- Susan
- Bret Easton Ellis.
- Richard Papen eventually became a successful professor of English literature.
- Camilla Macaulay
- Charles Macaulay
- Francis Abernathy
- Henry Winter is the leader of "those creepy Classics kids" (cf. TRoA87); kills Bunny Corcoran (TSH).
- Bunny Corcoran
- Dr. Julian Morrow is a professor of Classics at Hampden.
- That girl from Rockaway