Faculty of English Language and Literature
Relevant Links
The Faculty of English Language and Literature is by far the largest English Department in the UK, with over 75 permanent postholders, a further 70 Faculty members, 900 undergraduates and 300 postgraduates. The Faculty has a very distinguished research and teaching record, covering all periods of English Literature.
Oxford’s English Faculty is one of the most illustrious Schools of English in the world. Established in 1894, it has numbered among its members some of the most important critics and scholars in the field, including J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Edmund Blunden, Nevill Coghill, Helen Gardner, Richard Ellmann, Terry Eagleton, and many others. We are now home to nearly eighty Professors, Readers, and Lecturers, with about the same number again of Tutors and Research Fellows based in Colleges. At any one time, there are roughly a thousand students studying within the Faculty at undergraduate level, and another three hundred at graduate level in the largest English graduate school in the country.
Traditionally teaching and research in the Faculty has covered the entire history of literature in English from the Anglo-Saxon period to the present day, along with language studies. More recent growth areas include world literature and film studies.
Series associated with Faculty of English Language and Literature
"British" World War One Poetry: An Introduction
Approaching Shakespeare
Broadcast Media
Censorship in Literature in South Africa
Centre for the Study of the Book
Challenging the Canon
Chaucer for Beginners
D.H. Lawrence
Edward Lear's Feelings
English at Oxford
English Graduate Conference 2012
Faculty of English - Introductions
Fantasy Literature
George Eliot
Great Writers Inspire
Great Writers Inspire at Home
History of the Eighteenth Century in Ten Poems
Indian Traces in Oxford
Interviews on Great Writers
Leonard Woolf's The Village in the Jungle (1913): A Day Symposium
Literature and Form
Literature, Art and Oxford
Medieval English
Modern Fairies
MSt English Language
Not Shakespeare: Elizabethan and Jacobean Popular Theatre
Oscar Wilde
Oxford Writers' House Talks
Poetry with A.E. Stallings
Poetry with Simon Armitage
Professor of Poetry
Samuel Johnson
Shakespeare's First Folio (ePub format)
Staging Shakespeare
The End of Journalism
Their Finest Hour
Tolkien at Oxford
Valentine's Day at Oxford
War and Representation
Writers in Dialogue
| # | Episode Title | Description | People | Date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 478 | Prequels and Sequels - Theresa Sprecht | A look at prequels and sequels in transdmedia fantasy - Theresa Sprecht | Theresa Sprecht | 01 Dec 2025 | |
| 477 | Manga - Minjie Su | A look at Manga, history, and fantasy Manga stories - MInjie Su | Minjie Su | 01 Dec 2025 | |
| 476 | Games (short talk) - Stuart Lee | Fantasy gaming - Stuart Lee | Stuart Lee | 01 Dec 2025 | |
| 475 | Game of Thrones - Carolyne Larrington | The impact of G R R Martin's Game of Thrones and the TV series - Carolyne Larrington | Carolyne Larrington | 01 Dec 2025 | |
| 474 | Arresting Strangeness and Fan Fiction (short talk) - Megan Laybourn | Fan fiction and fantasy literature - Megan Laybourn | Megan Laybourn | 01 Dec 2025 | |
| 473 | Interview with Samantha Shannon | Interview with Samantha Shannon | Samantha Shannon | 01 Dec 2025 | |
| 472 | Publishing Fantasy Panel - Bloomsbury Publishing Team | A panel discussion, with introduction by Sir Nigel Newton (founder of Bloomsbury Publishing Ltd) | Nigel Newton, Zoe Gilbert, Vicky Leech Mateos, Lucy Strong | 01 Dec 2025 | |
| 471 | Jinn, Faith, and Oral Folklore (short talk) - Sarah Mughal Rana | A look at non-western fantasy literature and influences by the writer Sarah Mughal Rana. | Sarah Mughal Jana | 01 Dec 2025 | |
| 470 | After Tolkien (short talk) - Felix Taylor | Susan Cooper, Diana Wynne Jones, and Alana Garner by Felix Taylor | Felix Taylor | 01 Dec 2025 | |
| 469 | J. R. R. Tolkien - Stuart Lee | Applying the DISCWORLD framework to Tolkien - Stuart Lee | Stuart Lee | 01 Dec 2025 | |
| 468 | Norse Myths and E. R. Eddison (short talk) - Grace Khuri | A look at he influences of Norse Myths on E. R. Addison - Grace Khuri | Grace Khuri | 01 Dec 2025 | |
| 467 | Weird Fiction (short talk) - Felix Taylor | An introduction to weird fiction and the key writers - Felix Taylor | Felix Taylor | 01 Dec 2025 | |
| 466 | C. S. Lewis and the Origins of Narnia - Simon Horobin | An introduction to C. S. Lewis and his Narnia novels - Simon Horobin | Simon Horobin | 01 Dec 2025 | |
| 465 | The Oxford School of Fantasy (short talk) - Carolyne Larrington | A short exploration of the 'Oxford School' of fantasy - Carolyne Larrington | Carolyne Larrington | 01 Dec 2025 | |
| 464 | 19thc Fantasy - Morris and Macdonald - Katie Harling Lee | they influences and writings of William Morris and George MacDonald - Katie Harling Lee | Katie Harling Lee | 01 Dec 2025 | |
| 463 | Fairy Tale and Fantasy - Ros Ballaster | The influences and history of fairy and folk tales - Rod Ballaster | Ros Ballaster | 01 Dec 2025 | |
| 462 | Modern Re-enchantment and the Medieval Fantastic - Bond West | Medieval literature and the influences on modern fantasy literature | Bond West | 01 Dec 2025 | |
| 461 | Arthurian Literature (short talk) - Gabriel Schenk | Arthurian influences on fantasy literature especially T. H. White - Gabriel Schenk | Gabriel Schenk | 01 Dec 2025 | |
| 460 | Myths and Legends (short talk) - Carolyne Larrington | The early history of fantasy - myths and legends - by Carolyne Larrington | Carolyne Larrington | 01 Dec 2025 | |
| 459 | Classics and Fantasy - Beppe Pezzini | An exploration of the use of classical literature in Tolkien by Beppe Pezzini | Giuseppe Pezzini | 01 Dec 2025 | |
| 458 | Critical Approaches to Fantasy (short talk) - Stuart Lee | A short-talk (10 minutes) on critical approaches to fantasy using a DISCWORLD framework by Stuart Lee | Stuart Lee | 01 Dec 2025 | |
| 457 | Introduction to Fantasy - Adam Roberts | Introduction to the genre and history of fantasy Literature by Adam Roberts. | Adam Roberts | 01 Dec 2025 | |
| 456 | Repetition is a Form of Change: An Oblique Strategy in Poetry | Professor of Poetry lecture – Repetition is a Form of Change: An Oblique Strategy in Poetry | Alicia Stallings | 20 May 2025 | |
| 455 | The ‘Key-spring’ of The Lord of the Rings? | Stuart Lee talks on 'The ‘Key-spring’ of The Lord of the Rings?' | Stuart Lee | 01 Mar 2025 | |
| 454 | C.S. Lewis’s Influence on The Lord of the Rings | Michael Ward talks on 'C.S. Lewis’s Influence on The Lord of the Rings' | Michael Ward | 01 Mar 2025 | |
| 453 | Medievalism in the Margins: Echoes of Anglo-Saxon England in Appendix A of The Lord of the Rings – From Page to Screen | Grace Khuri talks on 'Medievalism in the Margins: Echoes of Anglo-Saxon England in Appendix A of 'The Lord of the Rings' – From Page to Screen' | Grace Khuri | 01 Mar 2025 | |
| 452 | A Harmless Vice: Tolkien’s Invented Languages | Mark Williams talks on 'A Harmless Vice: Tolkien’s Invented Languages' | Mark Williams | 01 Mar 2025 | |
| 451 | The authors and styles of 'The Lord of the Rings' | Giuseppe Pezzini talks on 'The authors and styles of The Lord of the Rings' | Giuseppe Pezzini | 01 Mar 2025 | |
| 450 | J. R. R. Tolkien and G. B. Smith: Two Forgotten War Poets? | Stuart Lee talks about Tolkien's recently published war poetry in the context of G. B. Smith. | Stuart Lee | 01 Mar 2025 | |
| 449 | Tolkien as Interpreter and Transformer of Culture: The Making of 'The Lord of the Rings' as a Modern Book | Holly Ordway presents on 'Tolkien as Interpreter and Transformer of Culture'. | Holly Ordway | 01 Mar 2025 | |
| 448 | What These Ithakas Mean: Cavafy, Translation, Influence, and Imitation | What These Ithakas Mean: Cavafy, Translation, Influence, and Imitation (Professor of Poetry lecture, Feb 2025) | Alicia Stallings | 25 Feb 2025 | |
| 447 | Upping the ante: how word choice, quotation and allusion in poems raise the stakes | Upping the ante: how word choice, quotation and allusion in poems raise the stakes (Professor of Poetry lecture, Nov 2024) | Alicia Stallings | 04 Dec 2024 | |
| 446 | Pirates, Poets, and "Plagiarism" | How Lord Byron translated, and was translated by, Greek poetry and reality. | Alicia Stallings | 17 May 2024 | |
| 445 | Mr Eugenides after the Burning of Smyrna: George Seferis and The Waste Land | A.E. Stallings gave a lecture as the Oxford Professor of Poetry on 15 February 2024. She talked on Mr Eugenides after the Burning of Smyrna: George Seferis and The Waste Land | Alicia Stallings | 20 Feb 2024 | |
| 444 | Creative Commons | Love's Labour's Lost | Emma Smith continues her Approaching Shakespeare series with a lecture on the play Love's Labour's Lost. | Emma Smith | 12 Feb 2024 |
| 443 | Creative Commons | Chaucer 6 - Chaucer’s legacy | Professor Marion Turner looks at Chaucer's legacy and the changes in societal perception of Chaucer. She also looks at online resources to help the beginner study Chaucer. | Marion Turner, Karen Carey | 08 Feb 2024 |
| 442 | Creative Commons | Chaucer 5 - The Language of Chaucer | Professor Marion Turner delves into Geoffrey Chaucer's language and writing style. Chaucer championed a vernacular English form of writing, a departure from the prevalent use of Latin or French in poetry and the law. | Marion Turner, Karen Carey | 08 Feb 2024 |
| 441 | Creative Commons | Chaucer 4 - The Wife of Bath's Prologue and Tale | Professor Marion Turner introduces one of the most famous and intricate tales from Chaucer's Canterbury Tales – "The Wife of Bath." | Marion Turner, Karen Carey | 08 Feb 2024 |
| 440 | Creative Commons | Chaucer 3 - The Miller’s Tale | Professor Marion Turner introduces the ribald and humorous world of one of the Canterbury Tales' most famous stories – "The Miller's Tale." | Marion Turner, Karen Carey | 08 Feb 2024 |
| 439 | Creative Commons | Chaucer 2 - An Introduction to the Canterbury Tales | Professor Marion Turner provides an in-depth exploration of Geoffrey Chaucer's classic work, the Canterbury Tales. | Marion Turner, Karen Carey | 08 Feb 2024 |
| 438 | Creative Commons | Chaucer 1 - An Introduction to the life and times of Geoffrey Chaucer | In the introductory episode of "Chaucer for Beginners,” expert Professor Marion Turner introduces the life of writer Geoffrey Chaucer, shedding light on his background and life in 14th century England. | Marion Turner, Karen Carey | 08 Feb 2024 |
| 437 | J.R.R. Tolkien: The Making of a Philologist | A talk by Professor Simon Horobin on Tolkien's long-standing career and interest in philology as part of the Tolkien 50th Commemoration seminar series. | Simon Horobin | 11 Dec 2023 | |
| 436 | Tolkien and Beowulf | A talk by Dr Laura Varnam on Tolkien's long engagement with the Old English poem 'Beowulf' as part of the Tolkien 50th Commemoration seminar series. | Laura Varnam | 11 Dec 2023 | |
| 435 | A Heroic History of the Elves: Tolkien’s “lost” Mythology of England? | A talk by PhD candidate Grace Khuri, University of Oxford, on Tolkien's Elvish history and English 'mythology', as part of the Tolkien 50th Commemoration seminar series. | Grace Khuri | 11 Dec 2023 | |
| 434 | Tolkien and the Classics | A talk by Professor Giuseppe Pezzini on the influences of Classical Literature on Tolkien. [Audio only] | Giuseppe Pezzini | 11 Dec 2023 | |
| 433 | Peak Middle-earth: Why Mount Doom is not the climax of 'The Lord of the Rings' | Audio only recording by Dr Michael Ward, Faculty of Theology, University of Oxford, as part of the Tolkien 50th Commemoration seminar series. [Audio only] | Michael Ward | 08 Dec 2023 | |
| 432 | How to write 'The Lord of the Rings' | A lecture by Dr S Lee as part of the Tolkien 50th Commemoration seminar series. | Stuart Lee | 08 Dec 2023 | |
| 431 | The Bat Poet: Poetry as Echolocation | A.E. Stallings gave her inaugural lecture as the Oxford Professor of Poetry on 20 November 2023. She talked on 'The Bat Poet: Poetry as Echolocation'. | Alicia Stallings | 23 Nov 2023 | |
| 430 | Noor Inayat Khan: the "Spy Princess" - Interview with Shrabani Basu | Joseph Quinn speaks to Indian journalist, bestselling author and historian, Shrabani Basu, about the life and career of legendary SOE agent, Noor Inayat Khan. | Shrabani Basu, Joseph Quinn | 08 Sep 2023 | |
| 429 | Soldiers of the Punjab in two world wars - Interview with Amandeep Madra | Joseph Quinn speaks to Amandeep Madra, founder of the UK Punjab Heritage Association, about Pubjabi and Sikh soldiers in the British Indian Army. | Joseph Quinn, Amandeep Madra | 25 Aug 2023 | |
| 428 | The Duke of Windsor's German tutor - Interview with Emma Huber | Emma Huber, German subject librarian at Oxford's Taylorian Library, speaks to Joseph Quinn about the life and career of Professor H.G. Fiedler. | Emma Huber, Joseph Quinn | 02 Aug 2023 | |
| 427 | Northern Ireland in WW2 - TFH Collection Day at the Linen Hall, Belfast | Interview with Scott Edgar at the Linen Hall Library, Belfast, just after hosting the first TFH Collection Day event in Northern Ireland. | Joseph Quinn, Scott Edgar | 13 Jul 2023 | |
| 426 | Fighting Proud: Gay Men in Wartime - Interview with Stephen Bourne | Interview with Stephen Bourne about the experiences of gay men in the British Armed Forces and at home during the Second World War. | Matthew Kidd, Stephen Bourne | 28 Jun 2023 | |
| 425 | Under Fire: Black Britain in Wartime - Interview with Stephen Bourne | Interview with Stephen Bourne about the contribution of black men and women in wartime Britain during the Second World War. | Stephen Bourne | 20 Jun 2023 | |
| 424 | Counterblast! (a manifesto for poetry) | Alice Oswald's final lecture as the English Faculty's Professor of Poetry. | Alice Oswald | 16 Jun 2023 | |
| 423 | Stories from the Archive - Part 1 | First episode of a new Their Finest Hour podcast mini-series examining a selection of stories submitted to the Online Archive. | Joseph Quinn | 19 May 2023 | |
| 422 | The Women behind "the Few" - Interview with Dr Sarah-Louise Miller | Interview with Dr Sarah-Louise Miller about the role of the WAAF in British air intelligence. | Joseph Quinn, Sarah-Louise Miller | 11 Apr 2023 | |
| 421 | Building the digital archive | A short interview with the project's technical lead, Catherine Conisbee, on building the digital archive. | Catherine Conisbee | 23 Mar 2023 | |
| 420 | Anonymous and Onymous | A professor of poetry talk by Alice Oswald - Hilary Term 2023 | Alice Oswald, Lorna Hutson | 27 Feb 2023 | |
| 419 | Meandering Fortune-Graphs | A professor of poetry talk by Alice Oswald - Michaelmas 2022. | Alice Oswald | 21 Feb 2023 | |
| 418 | A Postcard from Hitler | The Project Lead, Dr Stuart Lee, discusses his most memorable finds on previous crowdsourcing projects | Stuart Lee | 08 Feb 2023 | |
| 417 | Introducing 'Their Finest Hour' | A brief introduction by the project team to 'Their Finest Hour' | Stuart Lee, Matthew Kidd, Joseph Quinn | 23 Jan 2023 | |
| 416 | The Life and Death of Poetry | A distracted walkabout with T.S Eliot and others. | Alice Oswald | 23 Jun 2022 | |
| 415 | A Lament for the Earth | This episode will address the challenge to nature poetry. | Alice Oswald | 14 Mar 2022 | |
| 414 | In Sleep a King | This is a sleep-talk on the subject of waking up with Sonnet 87 (by Shakespeare) in the background. This talk was given by Alice Oswald on the 25th November 2021. | Alice Oswald | 03 Mar 2022 | |
| 413 | Fantasy Creatures | Dr Caroline Batten and Dr Megan Cavell discuss fantastic animals in fantasy text | Caroline Batten, Megan Cavell | 29 Sep 2021 | |
| 412 | Is Jin Yong 'China's Tolkien'? | A comparison of the Hong Kong author Jin Yong and J. R. R. Tolkien | Jonathan Hui | 06 Sep 2021 | |
| 411 | A Conversation with Katherine Langrish | Dr Caroline Batten chats with author Katherine Langrish about her book 'From Spare Oom to War Drobe' | Caroline Batten, Katherine Langrish | 31 Aug 2021 | |
| 410 | Faith in fantasy literature | A short discussion of the role of faith in fantasy literature | Katherine Olley | 30 Jul 2021 | |
| 409 | Brian McClellan | A discussion of the writer Brian McClellan. | Katherine Olley | 30 Jul 2021 | |
| 408 | Arthur Rackham at Trinity College | Emma Sillett, Trinity College Librarian, and Dr Caroline Batten explore the Danson Library's collection of rare Arthur Rackham fantasy illustrations. | Emma Sillett, Caroline Batten | 30 Jul 2021 | |
| 407 | C. S. Lewis and 'The Wind in the Willows' | A discussion of the influence of 'The Wind in the Willows' on fantasy writers - notably C. S. Lewis | Simon Horobin | 29 Jul 2021 | |
| 406 | The Last of the Titans | This talk explores the myth underlying the action in John Wyndham's `The Kraken Wakes'. | Jane Bliss | 27 Jul 2021 | |
| 405 | Creative Commons | A Walk around C. S. Lewis's Oxford | A biographical tour of C. S. Lewis's Oxford | Simon Horobin | 23 Jul 2021 |
| 404 | Creative Commons | William Morris and E. R. Eddison Collections at the Bodleian | An interview with Rachael Marsay about the William Morris and E. R. Eddison collections at the Bodleian Library | Rchael Marsay, Stuart Lee | 23 Jul 2021 |
| 403 | Creative Commons | Elizabeth Knox | A discussion of the writer Elizabeth Knox | Alicia Smith | 22 Jul 2021 |
| 402 | The Saga of Eric the Unlucky | The Saga of Eric the Unlucky examines Rider Haggard's use of medieval narrative techniques in his novel Eric Brighteyes. | Jane Bliss | 20 Jul 2021 | |
| 401 | Edward Lear and Fantasy | Jasmine Jagger provides a short introduction to Edward Lear. | Jasmine Jagger | 18 Jul 2021 | |
| 400 | An Interview with Elizabeth Knox | An Interview with Elizabeth Knox, author of 'The Absolute Book' | Carolyne Larrington, Elizabeth Knox | 13 Jul 2021 | |
| 399 | A Conversation With R. F. Kuang | Carolyne Larrington and Caroline Batten interview Rebecca F. Kuang. | R. F. Kuang, Carolyne Larrington, Caroline Batten | 08 Jul 2021 | |
| 398 | Werewolves in Medieval Literature vs Modern TV | A discussion of werewolves in medieval and modern representations. | Minjie Su | 06 Jul 2021 | |
| 397 | Desiring Dragons: Creative and Critical Responses to the Dragon in Beowulf | Laura Varnam discusses dragons in fantasy literature. | Laura Varnam | 06 Jul 2021 | |
| 396 | Morte D'Arthur Murals in the Oxford Union | A visual discussion of the Morte D'Arthur murals in the library of the Oxford Union. | Tom Corrick, Caroline Batten | 28 Jun 2021 | |
| 395 | Maria Dahvana Headley on Beowulf | Author Maria Dahvana Headley reads from her 2018 novel The Mere Wife, is interviewed by Prof. Carolyne Larrington, and shares drafts from her 2020 translation of Beowulf. This lecture was recorded live at St John’s College, Oxford in November 2018. | Carolyne Larrington, Maria Dahvana Headley, David Clark | 25 Jun 2021 | |
| 394 | George MacDonald | An introduction to the Victorian fantasist and fairy tale author George MacDonald, who convinced Lewis Carroll to publish Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, inspired C. S. Lewis' Christian writings, and may even have influenced Tolkien's Elves. | Caroline Batten, Clare Mulley | 25 Jun 2021 | |
| 393 | Old Norse in the New World: The Mythology and Politics of Immigration and Neil Gaiman's 'American Gods' | A talk on Neil Gaiman's 'American Gods'. | Heather O'Donoghue | 23 Jun 2021 | |
| 392 | Discworld - and the Modern University | A short talk introducing Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels and how they reflect the modern University. | Andrew Shamel | 22 Jun 2021 | |
| 391 | Susan Cooper | A short talk on Susan Cooper. | Tom Morcom | 22 Jun 2021 | |
| 390 | Violet Needham | Jane Bliss introduces listeners to the work of Violet Needham, a prolific but little-remembered children’s fantasy author, whose book 'The Woods of Windri' draws on the tropes of medieval romances in fascinating ways.ays. | Jane Bliss | 22 Jun 2021 | |
| 389 | Daoxuan and Chinese Fantasy Literature | A short talk on Daoxuan and medieval Chinese fantasy. | Nelson Landry | 18 Jun 2021 | |
| 388 | Tolkien Archive and Exhibition at Bodleian (Part 2) | An interview with Catherine McIlwaine on the Tolkien archive at Bodley and the exhibition of 2018 - Part 2 | Catherine McIlwaine, Stuart Lee | 18 Jun 2021 | |
| 387 | Tolkien Archive and Exhibition at Bodleian (Part 1) | An interview with Catherine McIlwaine on the Tolkien archive at Bodley and the exhibition of 2018 - Part 1. | Catherine McIlwaine, Stuart Lee | 17 Jun 2021 | |
| 386 | What is the 'Silmarillion'? | This lecture is an introduction to J.R.R. Tolkien's third major work, 'The Silmarillion' (1977), and considers its lengthy development in numerous prose and verse texts over fifty years. | Grace Khuri | 19 Apr 2021 | |
| 385 | Lines by Alice Oswald | It's fifty years since the publication of From the Life and Songs of the Crow (by Ted Hughes). This is a lecture about lines and other sound barriers and how Crow flies straight through them. | Alice Oswald | 01 Mar 2021 | |
| 384 | Creative Commons | The Literature of Absolute War - Transnationalism and WWII | Professor Nil Santiáñez discusses absolute war, total war, and the literature of WWII with Anders Engberg-Pedersen. | Anders Engberg-Pedersen, Nil Santiáñez | 17 Dec 2020 |
| 383 | Verse and Prose in Fantasy Literature | An analysis of two forms that dominate fantasy literature. | Katherine Olley | 24 Nov 2020 | |
| 382 | Guy Gavriel Kay | A short introduction to the writer Guy Gavriel Kay. | Katherine Olley | 24 Nov 2020 | |
| 381 | Series Two Episode Five: Fairy and Other Transformations | Carolyne Larrington and Fay Hield discuss the theme of transformation through fairy or other kinds of magic. | Carolyne Larrington, Fay Hield, Lucy Farrell, Inge Thomson | 22 Sep 2020 | |
| 380 | Series Two Episode Four: Fairies and the Environment | Carolyne Larrington and Fay Hield talk about a new theme that emerged in the ‘Modern Fairies’ project, fairies as guardians of the environment. | Carolyne Larrington, Fay Hield, Ben Nicholls, Inge Thomson | 22 Sep 2020 | |
| 379 | Series Two Episode Three: Fairies and Children | Carolyne Larrington and Fay Hield uncover the works inspired by the strange tale of the Green Children and the changeling legend. | Carolyne Larrington, Fay Hield, Terri Windling, Brian McMahon | 22 Sep 2020 |
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