Fictional
New England liberal arts college in the novels of
Bret Easton Ellis. It is allegedly based on
Bennington College, which Ellis in fact attended in the mid-
1980s. Ellis' friend and classmate
Donna Tartt also used Bennington as the model for the fictional Hampden College in her novel
The Secret History.
- Less Than Zero: Clay and Daniel attend Camden. It is said to be located in New Hampshire.
- The Rules of Attraction: Most of the action takes place in and around Camden. Main characters Sean Bateman, Lauren Hynde, Paul Denton and Victor Johnson all attend Camden to one degree or another. Clay makes an appearance as one of the students.
- American Psycho: Various characters go to Camden. When asked where it is Vanden replies that it's located in Vermont (Bennington is in Vermont as well). Sean appears briefly and Patrick Bateman says that he re-enrolled in Camden after presumably dropping out, then dropped out again. There's an in-jokey reference to Rules' Camden-centered romantic daisy chain as something that is typical of Camden.
- Glamorama: Camden is referenced as the school both Victor and Lauren attended. Chloe says that finishing Camden is equivalent to an eighth-grade education. Camden is again said to be in New Hampshire.
Haven't read The Informers and Glamorama, please /msg me if you have any more info on Camden references in Ellis' later novels.