Guarda Streamingcommunity. What was going on at Bennington College in the 1980s? Matthew Tyrnauer reveals the not-so-secret history of a small (enrollment: 700) liberal arts school that nurtured a shocking amount of genius. Bret Easton Ellis (American Psycho), Donna Tartt (The Goldfinch), and Jonathan Lethem (The Fortress of Solitude) were standouts amongst many young creatives, who found plenty of inspiration and material within the messy realities of this collegiate petri dish.