Faculty of English Language and Literature

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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
# | Episode Title | Description | People | Date | |
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420 | Anonymous and Onymous | A professor of poetry talk by Alice Oswald - Hillary 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 | |
378 | Series Two Episode Two: Fairy Time and Space | Carolyne Larrington and Fay Hield explore the ways in which the project artists engaged with the fairy world as parallel and yet distinct from our world, and the ways in which time warps in the other world. | Carolyne Larrington, Fay Hield, Barney Morse Brown, Ewan MacPherson | 22 Sep 2020 | |
377 | Series Two Episode One: Introducing the Modern Fairies Project | Carolyne Larrington and Fay Hield introduce the artists and outcomes of the Modern Fairies Project. | Carolyne Larrington, Fay Hield | 22 Sep 2020 | |
376 | What Tolkien learnt from 'Beowulf': Representations of Evil | Monsters and evil in Tolkien | Rafael J. Pascual | 16 Jul 2020 | |
375 | Interview with Water | This is the first ever online lecture by a Professor of Poetry at Oxford. In the lecture, Alice Oswald explores the strange connection between water and grief. | Alice Oswald | 08 Jul 2020 | |
374 | Sylvia Townsend Warner | Carolyne Larrington introduces the writing of Sylvia Townsend Warner. | Carolyne Larrington | 26 May 2020 | |
373 | Ursula K. Le Guin | A brief introduction to the writer Ursula K. Le Guin. | Caroline Batten | 13 May 2020 | |
372 | T. H. White | A brief introduction to the writer T. H. White. | Gabriel Schenk | 12 May 2020 | |
371 | Diana Wynne Jones | A brief introduction to the writer Diana Wynne Jones. | Gabriel Schenk | 12 May 2020 | |
370 | Why 'Game of Thrones' Matters | 'Game of Thrones' and storytelling. | Carolyne Larrington | 12 May 2020 | |
369 | Re-Enchanted: The Rise of Children’s Fantasy Literature in the Twentieth Century | A guest lecture by Dr Maria Cecire (Bard College) discussing children's fantasy literature. | Maria Cecire | 12 May 2020 | |
368 | Interview: Catherine Butler | An Interview with Dr Catherine Butler, author of the book 'Four British Fantasists'. | Catherine Butler, Will Brockbank | 12 May 2020 | |
367 | Alan Garner | A brief introduction to the British fantasy writer, Alan Garner. | Felix Taylor | 12 May 2020 | |
366 | Approaching Fantasy Literature | A short introduction to reading and studying fantasy literature. | Stuart Lee | 12 May 2020 | |
365 | H. P. Lovecraft | A brief introduction to the writer, H. P. Lovecraft. | Stuart Lee | 12 May 2020 | |
364 | Creative Commons | The First World War, India and Empire | Professor Santanu Das discusses the complexity of commemoration, the messiness of history and the role of scholarly emotion with Kate McLoughlin. | Kate McLoughlin, Santanu Das | 27 Mar 2020 |
363 | Creative Commons | America’s War Culture since 9/11 | In this episode associate professor Patrick Deer discusses his forthcoming book We Are All Embedded: Understanding America’s War Culture since 9/11. | Patrick Deer, Christine Strandmose Toft | 17 Mar 2020 |
362 | The Art of Erosion | Inaugural Lecture of Alice Oswald, Professor of Poetry, held at the University of Oxford Exam Schools. | Alice Oswald | 09 Dec 2019 | |
361 | Creative Commons | Will War still need us? What Future for Agency in War? | Will War still need us? What Future for Agency in War? - an interview with Christopher Coker | Solveig Gade, Christopher Coker | 27 Nov 2019 |
360 | Creative Commons | The Age of Amok - an interview with Joseph Vogl | Professor Joseph Vogl discusses the phenomenon of ‘amok’ with Anders Engberg-Pedersen. | Joseph Vogl, Anders Engberg-Pedersen | 04 Nov 2019 |
359 | Creative Commons | Philosophy and Nuclear War - an interview with Elaine Scarry | Professor Scarry and Jens Bjering discuss philosophy and nuclear war. | Elaine Scarry, Jens Bjering | 04 Nov 2019 |
358 | Creative Commons | War, Aesthetics, Politics – an interview with Vivienne Jabri | Professor Vivienne Jabri discusses the relationship between war, aesthetics and politics in relation to contemporary warfare with Christine Strandmose Toft. | Vivienne Jabri, Christine Strandmose | 04 Nov 2019 |
357 | When I Heard the Learn'd Astronomer | Simon Armitage delivers his final lecture as Oxford Professor of Poetry, reflecting on his own influences as a poet. | Simon Armitage | 17 May 2019 | |
356 | Creative Commons | Theatre, 1660-1760 - The Arrival of the Actress | David Taylor on the arrival of female actors on the stage. | David Taylor | 14 Mar 2019 |
355 | Creative Commons | Theatre, 1660-1760 - Restoration and Change | David Taylor lectures on the reopening of the theatres in the 1660s. | David Taylor | 14 Mar 2019 |
354 | Creative Commons | Race and Empire, 1660-1760 | Ruth Scobie lectures on race and empire, 1660-1760. | Ruth Scobie | 14 Mar 2019 |
353 | Creative Commons | Drama and the Theatre, 1660-1760 | Abigail Williams lectures on the staging of Restoration drama. | Abigail Williams | 14 Mar 2019 |
352 | Creative Commons | Literature and Gender, 1660-1760 | Kathleen Keown considers representations of gender in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. | Kathleen Keown | 07 Mar 2019 |
351 | Creative Commons | Manuscript and Print, 1660–1760 | Carly Watson outlines the material forms in which literary texts circulated between 1660 and 1760. | Carly Watson | 07 Mar 2019 |
350 | Creative Commons | What is a Literary Period? | Clare Bucknell considers how we define a literary period. | Clare Bucknell | 07 Mar 2019 |
349 | Creative Commons | Nineteenth-Century Stuff - Dickens, Paperwork and Paper Sorrows | Sophie Ratcliffe investigates the material culture of the Victorians, using examples from Charles Dickens. | Sophie Ratcliffe | 07 Mar 2019 |
348 | Creative Commons | What is a War Poem? | Kate McLoughlin explores how we might define a war poem. | Kate McLoughlin | 07 Mar 2019 |
347 | Creative Commons | Diaries as Literature - The Case of Virginia Woolf | Michael Whitworth considers whether diaries are literature, looking particularly at the diaries of Virginia Woolf. | Michael Whitworth | 07 Mar 2019 |
346 | Creative Commons | Character in Modern Drama | Kirsten Shepherd-Barr investigates 'character' in Modern Drama | Kirsten Shepherd-Barr | 07 Mar 2019 |
345 | Creative Commons | Brilliant Paradoxes and Corrosive Epigrams; or Why Oscar Wilde Went to Trial | Sos Eltis looks at Oscar Wilde’s 1895 trial. | Sos Eltis | 04 Mar 2019 |
344 | Loathly Ladies | Carolyne Larrington and Fay Hield talk about the loathly lady: the hideous hag who knows the secret that the hero seeks, and whom he must learn how to respect. | Carolyne Larrington, Fay Hield, Brian McMahon | 26 Feb 2019 | |
343 | Fairies, Children and Changelings | Carolyne Larrington and Fay Hield talk about the strange interest that fairies take in human infants, and the plight of children who stumble into this world, and can’t get home. | Carolyne Larrington, Fay Hield, Brian McMahon, Marry Waterson | 19 Feb 2019 | |
342 | Helpful Fairies | Carolyne Larrington and Fay Hield discuss how fairies and humans can co-operate and assist each other. | Carolyne Larrington, Fay Hield, Brian McMahon, Lucy Farrell | 12 Feb 2019 | |
341 | Fairy Wives and Fairy Lovers | Carolyne Larrington and Fay Hield talk about love and marriage between humans and fairies. | Carolyne Larrington, Fay Hield, Brian McMahon | 08 Feb 2019 | |
340 | Introducing Fairies and Fairyland | Carolyne Larrington and Fay Hield introduce the Modern Fairies project and talk about traditional imaginings of fairyland. | Carolyne Larrington, Fay Hield, Brian McMahon | 28 Jan 2019 | |
339 | 'Undisfigured by False or Vicious Ornaments' - Clarity and Obscurity in the Age of Formlessness | The Hilary Term Professor of Poetry lecture, delivered by Professor of Poetry Simon Armitage. | Simon Armitage | 28 Jan 2019 | |
338 | Tales of Love and History - James Ivory in Conversation | Oscar-winning American film-maker James Ivory will talk about his experiences with the legendary Merchant Ivory productions, in partnership with producer Ismail Merchant and screenwriter Ruth Prawer Jhabvala. | James Ivory, Richard Parkinson, Katherine Harloe, Jennifer Ingleheart | 18 Dec 2018 | |
337 | Damned if he Does and Damned if he Doesn't? Dilemmas and Decisions in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight | Simon Armitage lectures on the poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. | Simon Armitage | 23 Nov 2018 | |
336 | Free Reading | Professor Lloyd Pratt delivers his inaugural lecture as Drue Heinz Professor of American Literature. | Lloyd Pratt | 22 May 2018 | |
335 | Unseasonal Produce: Winter Words in Various Moods and Metres | Simon Armitage delivers the Trinity 2018 poetry lecture entitled "Unseasonal Produce: Winter Words in Various Moods and Metres". | Simon Armitage | 17 May 2018 | |
334 | Reading Bass Culture | On 26 April 2018, Linton Kwesi Johnson read from a selection of his poetry and discussed with Professor Paul Gilroy the inter-generational and transatlantic relationships that had nurtured it. | Linton Kwesi Johnson, Paul Gilroy, Louisa Layne | 16 May 2018 | |
333 | Creative Commons | ‘Edward Lear’s Vision’, by Professor Matthew Bevis | A talk given at the Ashmolean Museum on Edward Lear’s life, art, and poetry. | Matthew Bevis | 10 May 2018 |
332 | Weeping | 'He weeps by the side of the ocean, He weeps on the top of the hill', the poet wrote of himself in 'How Pleasant to Know Mr Lear'. | Jasmine Jagger | 04 Apr 2018 | |
331 | Laughter | Lear once spoke of 'this ludicrously whirligig life which one suffers from first and laughs at afterwards.' | Matthew Bevis | 04 Apr 2018 | |
330 | Disgust | This programme explores appetite, desire, and disgust in Lear. | Jasmine Jagger | 04 Apr 2018 | |
329 | Wonder | This programme examines different meanings of 'wonder' in Lear - as both a positive and a negative emotion, and as something in between. | Jasmine Jagger | 04 Apr 2018 | |
328 | Introduction | This programme introduces Lear and outlines the structure of the programmes. | Matthew Bevis | 04 Apr 2018 | |
327 | Like, Elizabeth Bishop | Professor of Poetry Simon Armitage delivers a lecture on the american writer and poet Elizabeth Bishop. | Simon Armitage | 20 Mar 2018 | |
326 | Creative Commons | Creative Media Lecture 02 | In the second lecture, Stig Abell discusses the future of modern and social journalism. | Stig Abell | 12 Mar 2018 |
325 | Creative Commons | Creative Media Lecture 01 | In the first lecture, Stig Abell discusses the pros and cons of old fashioned journalism as well as modern forms of journalism such as social media. | Stig Abell | 12 Mar 2018 |
324 | Creative Commons | Trade - Merchants' books of Venice and Florence | Dr Irene Ceccherini (Lyell-Bodleian Research Fellow in Manuscript Studies, Bodleian Library, Dilts Research Fellow in Palaeography, Lincoln College, University of Oxford) gives a talk for the Seminar in the History of the Book on 9th February 2017. | Irene Ceccherini | 16 Feb 2018 |
323 | Early Modern Publishing Policies - Andreas Frisius of Amsterdam and the search for a niche market, 1664-75 | Professor Ian Maclean (All Souls College), gives the third seminar in the History of the Book series, looking at the early modern period publishing policies in Europe on February 2nd, 2018. | Ian Maclean | 06 Feb 2018 | |
322 | Does love have a scent? | Love is in the air - or is it? Companies are advertising that they can find you love through the power of scent! But are pheromones a chemical way to find your true love? Or is it just a myth? | Tristram Wyatt | 06 Feb 2018 | |
321 | Arabic - Scrolls into codices: Jilyani's picture-poems for Saladin | Professor Julia Bray (Laudian Professor of Arabic, University of Oxford) gives a talk for the new series for the Centre for the Study of the Book. | Julia Bray | 29 Jan 2018 |
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