List of fictional Cambridge colleges

List of fictional Cambridge colleges comprises various imaginary colleges of the University of Cambridge that have appeared in different works of fiction. These fictional institutions are often used by authors and filmmakers to provide a setting that resembles Cambridge without involving the actual colleges of the university.

Overview

The University of Cambridge is a collegiate university in Cambridge, England, consisting of several real colleges. However, in literature, film, and television, fictional Cambridge colleges are often created to serve as settings for narratives. These fictional entities allow for a depiction of academic life without the constraints or specific histories of the actual Cambridge colleges.

List of fictional Cambridge colleges

St. Matthew's College

First appearing in the novel The Masters by C.P. Snow, St. Matthew's College serves as a central location for the story, which explores the dynamics and politics among the academic staff.

Porterhouse College

Featured in the novel Porterhouse Blue by Tom Sharpe and its television adaptation, Porterhouse College is depicted as a bastion of tradition and resistance to change, often with humorous and satirical undertones.

Scudamore College

In the detective fiction series by Susanna Gregory, Scudamore College is often involved in the plots surrounding the main character, Matthew Bartholomew, a physician and fellow of the college.

Lazarus College

Lazarus College is central to the plot of Grantchester Mysteries, a series of detective novels by James Runcie. The college is the alma mater of the protagonist, Sidney Chambers, who investigates various mysteries in the 1950s.

College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity

This fictional college appears in the science fiction novel Look to Windward by Iain M. Banks, part of the Culture series. It is used as a setting for part of the novel, which deals with themes of war, guilt, and redemption.

Cultural impact

Fictional Cambridge colleges provide a versatile setting for narratives, allowing authors to explore themes of tradition, academic life, and social dynamics within a prestigious educational context. These settings also help to maintain the privacy and integrity of the real Cambridge colleges.

See also

• List of fictional Oxford colleges
• University of Cambridge
• Colleges of the University of Cambridge