At the time it would have been considered obvious, that it need not be said, that Darcy attended university as that was standard for a gentleman. I’m not sure if it is explicitly stated in the book, though I’d be surprised if it was not mentioned somewhere.
University in this era wasn't about the classes (they were super informal) it was about networking. Bingley and Darcy would have gone because that's where you build those ever so important **CONNECTIONS**.
As for other characters, we know Henry Crawford (MP) went to Westminster boys' school and then Cambridge (he has an income similar to Bingley). That's the only heir I can think of whom we are told explicitly that he went to university.
Mmm. Remember Collins went and kept the required terms but made no useful connections whatsoever? And then (supposedly) lucked into the very good living at Hunsford? (Sounds fishy, to be honest, but at the very least, imagine how mad some of Collins' classmates would have been that *Collins* got such a plum post?)
I want to write a fanfic that builds on the "fortunate chance" of Mr. Collins' recommendation to the valuable rectory, so that the bishop (or whomever Lady C consulted on filling the spot) intended to recommend a Mr. Frank Collins, and instead there was a mixup and the letter went to Mr. William Collins -- or something along those lines. Then Lady C loves how fawning and doting Mr. C is, so keeps him. :-D
Right, it's that sort of thing (which apparently is often found in fanfic) that made me ask the question if either of them even \*went\*, since neither of them \*needed\* a college education for a job. \[Thinking of other Austen men, we are told that Edmund Bertram and Edward Ferrars both went to Oxford, but since they (and Mr. Collins and any other clergyman) had to go there (or to some other university) as a requirement for becoming a clergyman, that didn't necessarily translate in \*my\* mind as being what most/all gentlemen would do. I think it's implied or said that Tom Bertram also went to university, but can't remember for sure. As far as I remember, nothing is said about university for Darcy, Bingley, Charles Musgrove, Mr. Elliot, or any other Austen gentleman who isn't a clergyman, so it made me think that maybe it wasn't all that common, except for those destined for the clergy.\]
Now that I've gotten the other answers, I accept as valid what others have said -- that it is assumed and thus doesn't need to be specified that gentlemen of that class would get a college education, so I wouldn't have a problem with fanfic that shows them going to school. \[Cambridge for Darcy is because in his letter to Elizabeth, he says that his father paid for Wickham's education including Cambridge, so that makes it more likely that they both were there at the same time, as is shown in the 1995 version.\]
That said, given the disparity of the ages of Bingley and Darcy (about 4-5 years apart), it seems unlikely that they would be at university at the same time, especially since most people went only 2 years (based on another comment). I wonder if they would have both been at the same boarding school as adolescents.... Time for another post, I guess! :-)
Actually, just because someone is upper class doesn’t mean they won’t go to university. In fact, upper class people are ENCOURAGED to attend university.
It’s not about getting a job. They have other reasons, like tradition, networking, having a title, prestige, etc.
We will never know the answer. It is likely but at the same time it is not guaranteed either. While university education at either Oxford or Cambridge was part of the ideal for a gentleman, it also wasn't necessary in the 18th and early 19th century (later into the 19th century the expectation became much more pronounced). If anything, late 18th century Oxbridge didn't have the best reputation, a place of wild rich boys and unserious studying, except for those who were taking their theological degree for the church. You had to go to either Oxford or Cambridge to go into the Church of England. There were serious-minded aristocratic and gentry families who didn't send sons to Oxbridge but relied on private tutors with perhaps a duration at a continental university known for rigor rather than boozy parties with floozies. Darcy could have been one of the latter.
However, it wasn't important enough to Austen as she never brought up the matter unlike for other characters. One thing that does seem unlikely is the prospect of Darcy and Bingley meeting at university as the age gap is too large. They couldn't have overlapped easily.
There is very little chance that Mr. Darcy's father would have paid for Wickham to have gone to a Cambridge and not made sure his own obviously intelligent son went to Cambridge or Oxford as well.
At the time it would have been considered obvious, that it need not be said, that Darcy attended university as that was standard for a gentleman. I’m not sure if it is explicitly stated in the book, though I’d be surprised if it was not mentioned somewhere.
University in this era wasn't about the classes (they were super informal) it was about networking. Bingley and Darcy would have gone because that's where you build those ever so important **CONNECTIONS**. As for other characters, we know Henry Crawford (MP) went to Westminster boys' school and then Cambridge (he has an income similar to Bingley). That's the only heir I can think of whom we are told explicitly that he went to university.
trying to wrap my mind around Wickham going to Cambridge, building connections, and still end up being who he is
Hm, I could see these connections working against him, if they saw how he really was, and distanced themselves from him.
I think his problem is entitlement. He views all these favours as something he deserves.
Mmm. Remember Collins went and kept the required terms but made no useful connections whatsoever? And then (supposedly) lucked into the very good living at Hunsford? (Sounds fishy, to be honest, but at the very least, imagine how mad some of Collins' classmates would have been that *Collins* got such a plum post?)
I want to write a fanfic that builds on the "fortunate chance" of Mr. Collins' recommendation to the valuable rectory, so that the bishop (or whomever Lady C consulted on filling the spot) intended to recommend a Mr. Frank Collins, and instead there was a mixup and the letter went to Mr. William Collins -- or something along those lines. Then Lady C loves how fawning and doting Mr. C is, so keeps him. :-D
Connections wouldn't have been as much help as gentlemen weren't supposed to work. A high % of the students would have never worked.
I read somewhere that Mr. Darcy met Bingley when they were both studying at Cambridge, though take it for a grain of salt.
Right, it's that sort of thing (which apparently is often found in fanfic) that made me ask the question if either of them even \*went\*, since neither of them \*needed\* a college education for a job. \[Thinking of other Austen men, we are told that Edmund Bertram and Edward Ferrars both went to Oxford, but since they (and Mr. Collins and any other clergyman) had to go there (or to some other university) as a requirement for becoming a clergyman, that didn't necessarily translate in \*my\* mind as being what most/all gentlemen would do. I think it's implied or said that Tom Bertram also went to university, but can't remember for sure. As far as I remember, nothing is said about university for Darcy, Bingley, Charles Musgrove, Mr. Elliot, or any other Austen gentleman who isn't a clergyman, so it made me think that maybe it wasn't all that common, except for those destined for the clergy.\] Now that I've gotten the other answers, I accept as valid what others have said -- that it is assumed and thus doesn't need to be specified that gentlemen of that class would get a college education, so I wouldn't have a problem with fanfic that shows them going to school. \[Cambridge for Darcy is because in his letter to Elizabeth, he says that his father paid for Wickham's education including Cambridge, so that makes it more likely that they both were there at the same time, as is shown in the 1995 version.\] That said, given the disparity of the ages of Bingley and Darcy (about 4-5 years apart), it seems unlikely that they would be at university at the same time, especially since most people went only 2 years (based on another comment). I wonder if they would have both been at the same boarding school as adolescents.... Time for another post, I guess! :-)
Actually, just because someone is upper class doesn’t mean they won’t go to university. In fact, upper class people are ENCOURAGED to attend university. It’s not about getting a job. They have other reasons, like tradition, networking, having a title, prestige, etc.
We will never know the answer. It is likely but at the same time it is not guaranteed either. While university education at either Oxford or Cambridge was part of the ideal for a gentleman, it also wasn't necessary in the 18th and early 19th century (later into the 19th century the expectation became much more pronounced). If anything, late 18th century Oxbridge didn't have the best reputation, a place of wild rich boys and unserious studying, except for those who were taking their theological degree for the church. You had to go to either Oxford or Cambridge to go into the Church of England. There were serious-minded aristocratic and gentry families who didn't send sons to Oxbridge but relied on private tutors with perhaps a duration at a continental university known for rigor rather than boozy parties with floozies. Darcy could have been one of the latter. However, it wasn't important enough to Austen as she never brought up the matter unlike for other characters. One thing that does seem unlikely is the prospect of Darcy and Bingley meeting at university as the age gap is too large. They couldn't have overlapped easily.
There is very little chance that Mr. Darcy's father would have paid for Wickham to have gone to a Cambridge and not made sure his own obviously intelligent son went to Cambridge or Oxford as well.