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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

"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
47 Creative Commons The Tragedie Of Cymbeline. ePub version of text THE TRAGEDIE OF CYMBELINE. / Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616. William Shakespeare 26 Oct 2010
46 Creative Commons The Life of Henry the Fift. ePub version of text The Life of Henry the Fifth. / Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616. William Shakespeare 20 Oct 2010
45 Creative Commons Henry V The second lecture in the Approaching Shakespeare series looks at King Henry V, and asks whether his presentation in the play is entirely positive. Emma Smith 20 Oct 2010
44 Creative Commons The Tragedie Of Othello, the Moore of Venice. ePub version of text THE TRAGEDIE OF Othello, the Moore of Venice. / Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616. William Shakespeare 18 Oct 2010
43 Creative Commons Othello First in Emma Smith's Approaching Shakespeare lecture series; looking at the central question of race and its significance in the play. Emma Smith 18 Oct 2010
42 Tomorrow Got Here Yesterday Last of four lectures exploring the relationship between creativity and commerce through the prism of late 20th and early 21st century TV fiction on both sides of the Atlantic. Stephen Garrett 11 May 2010
41 No More Heroes Third of four lectures exploring the relationship between creativity and commerce through the prism of late 20th and early 21st century TV fiction on both sides of the Atlantic. Stephen Garrett 11 May 2010
40 Why the Only Rule is that there are No Rules Second of four lectures exploring the relationship between creativity and commerce through the prism of late 20th and early 21st century TV fiction on both sides of the Atlantic. Stephen Garrett 11 May 2010
39 How to Grow a Creative Business According to the Laws of Chance First of four lectures exploring the relationship between creativity and commerce through the prism of late 20th and early 21st century TV fiction on both sides of the Atlantic. Stephen Garrett 11 May 2010
38 Creative Commons The Hobbit at the Bodleian: World Book Day Judith Priestman, curator of the Bodleian library, discusses the World Book Day 2010 exhibition, where a selection of J.R.R. Tolkien's original artwork which was used to illustrate The Hobbit, was on display to the public. Judith Priestman 13 Apr 2010
37 Creative Commons The Hobbit at the Bodleian: World Book Day Judith Priestman, curator of the Bodleian library, discusses the World Book Day 2010 exhibition, where a selection of J.R.R. Tolkien's original artwork which was used to illustrate The Hobbit, was on display to the public. Judith Priestman 13 Apr 2010
36 Creative Commons Philip Pullman: Lyra's Oxford, Bodleian Library Masterclass Acclaimed author of His Dark Materials Philip Pullman is interviewed by Margaret Kean on his new book, his influences and his method for writing stories. Phillp Pullman, Margaret Kean 13 Apr 2010
35 Talking Tolkien: The influences of Medieval Literature on the Fiction of J. R. R. Tolkien Stuart Lee and Elizabeth Solopova discuss the influences of medieval literature on the fiction of J. R. R. Tolkien. Stuart Lee, Elizabeth Solopova, Tara Mulholland 25 Mar 2010
34 Creative Commons Cornelia Sorabji: Jowett's protégée in Oxford 1889-1893 Professor Richard Sorabji (Wolfson College, Oxford) - Cornelia Sorabji: Jowett's protígíe in Oxford 1889-1893. Richard Sorabji 03 Mar 2010
33 Creative Commons Repainting Ajanta: the global impact of the Frescoes and their copies Dr Rupert Arrowsmith (UCL) - 'Repainting Ajanta: the global impact of the Frescoes and their copies.'. Rupert Arrowsmith 03 Mar 2010
32 Creative Commons Tracing Indian students at Oxford before the Second World War Dr Sumita Mukherjee (Oxford) - 'Tracing Indian Students at Oxford before the Second World War'. Sumita Mukherjee 02 Mar 2010
31 Creative Commons Indian imperial crossings and the Oxford hub Professor Elleke Boehmer (Oxford) - 'Indian imperial crossings and the Oxford hub'. Elleke Boehmer 02 Mar 2010
30 Creative Commons Michael Madhusudan Datta (1824-1873): a young Bengali poet's exam script washes up on Albion's distant shore Dr Alex Riddiford - "Michael Madhusudan Datta (1824-1873): a young Bengali poet's exam script washes up on Albion's distant shore." This reading was delivered by Anshuman Mondal. Alex Riddiford, Anshuman Mondal 02 Mar 2010
29 Creative Commons Musings of Sir Mohammad Iqbal on the Place of Muslims in late Colonial India: Letters to Edward John Thompson, 1933-1934 Professor Humayun Ansari (RHUL) - 'Musings of Sir Mohammad Iqbal on the Place of Muslims in late Colonial India: Letters to Edward John Thompson, 1933-1934'. Humayun Ansari 02 Mar 2010
28 Creative Commons Introduction and Reading Opening of exhibition by Amitav Ghosh and a reading from his In an Antique Land. Introduced by Anshuman Mondal (Brunel). Amitav Ghosh, Anshuman Mondal 02 Mar 2010
27 Creative Commons Censorship in South Africa: Introduction Peter McDonald talks briefly about what first interested him in Censorship of Literature in South Africa. Peter McDonald 12 Jan 2010
26 Creative Commons Peter McDonald on Censorship in South Africa Peter McDonald talks with Oliver Lewis about censorship, its philosophical basis and general history within Apartheid South Africa. Peter McDonald, Oliver Lewis 12 Jan 2010
25 Creative Commons The Duchess of Malfi The Duchess of Malfi / Webster, John, 1580?-1625. This is the epub edition of the play. John Webster 24 Nov 2009
24 Creative Commons The Duchess of Malfi: John Webster In dramatizing a woman's sexual choices in a notably sympathetic manner, this tragedy articulates perennial questions about female autonomy and class distinction. Emma Smith 24 Nov 2009
23 Creative Commons Political Perspectives to State Censorship of Literature Peter McDonald and David Robertson discuss the idea of state censorship, especially Apartheid era South Africa, looking at the political perspectives and implications of state censorship of literature. Peter McDonald, David Robertson 17 Nov 2009
22 Creative Commons Literature and State Censorship: A literary perspective Peter McDonald and Elleke Bohemer discuss state censorship from a literary perspective; also discussing the issues of nationalism, modernism and Apartheid. Peter McDonald, Elleke Boehmer 17 Nov 2009
21 Creative Commons Legal issues in state censorship Peter McDonald and Liora Lazarus discuss the legal issues of state censorship especially in Apartheid era South Africa. Peter McDonald, Liora Lazarus 17 Nov 2009
20 Creative Commons The Roaring Girl or Moll Cutpurse The Roaring Girl or Moll Cutpurse / Thomas Dekker and Thomas Middleton. This is the epub edition of the play. Thomas Middleton, Thomas Dekker 13 Nov 2009
19 Creative Commons The Roaring Girl: Thomas Middleton and Thomas Dekker Based on a contemporary scandal of a woman who dressed in male clothing, this play of topsy-turvy genders has fun with some very modern ideas about sexuality, identity and whether we are what we wear. Emma Smith 13 Nov 2009
18 Creative Commons The revenger's tragedy The revenger's tragedy / Middleton, Thomas, 1580-1627. This is the epub edition of the play. Thomas Middleton 06 Nov 2009
17 Creative Commons The Revenger's Tragedy: Thomas Middleton A blackly camp tragedy - Hamlet without the narcissism - set in a court corrupted by lust and self-interest, this play is both fascinated and repelled by its own depravity. Emma Smith 06 Nov 2009
16 Creative Commons The Shoemaker's Holiday: Thomas Dekker Like a Busby Berkeley depression-era musical, Dekker's comedy is a feel-good antidote to a context of shortages, political malaise and general pessimism, but real life in the shape of war, class antagonism and civic tensions, always threatens to intrude. Emma Smith 06 Nov 2009
15 Creative Commons The shoemaker's holiday The shoemakers' holiday / Dekker, Thomas, ca. 1572-1632. This is the epub version of the play. Thomas Dekker 05 Nov 2009
14 Creative Commons Arden of Feversham Arden of Feversham / Unknown. This is the epub edition of the play. Anonymous 05 Nov 2009
13 Creative Commons Arden of Faversham: Anon A true crime story of the murder of Thomas Arden by his wife and her lover, this play is concerned with the politics of the household, with gender roles within marriage, and presents a black comedy of botched murder attempts rather like The Ladykillers. Emma Smith 05 Nov 2009
12 Creative Commons The Spanish tragedie The Spanish tragedie / Kyd, Thomas, 1558-1594. This is the epub edition of the play. Thomas Kyd 05 Nov 2009
11 Creative Commons The Spanish Tragedy: Thomas Kyd Popular tragedy in which Hieronimo pursues aristocratic murderers of his son Horatio and takes revenge. It speaks, like Hollywood Westerns, to questions about private revenge versus public justice, and to the vexed religious questions of its age. Emma Smith 05 Nov 2009
10 Tolkien and Languages: Ancient and Invented Interview with Dr Elizabeth Solopova from the Bodlian Library on the influence of medieval language on Tolkien's fiction. Stuart Lee, Elizabeth Solopova 01 Dec 2008
9 Tolkien and the Oxford English Dictionary: 'The Ring of Words' A discussion with the authors of 'The Ring of Words', an exploration into Tolkien's work as a lexicographer for the Oxford English Dictionary. Stuart Lee, Peter Gilliver, Jeremy Marshall, Edmund Weiner 23 Oct 2008
8 Creative Commons Old English in Context Lecture 4 - Manuscripts Fourth and final lecture by Dr S D Lee, University of Oxford, on Old English in Context. 7/2/08. Stuart Lee 08 Feb 2008
7 Creative Commons Old English in Context Lecture 3 - Religion and Magic Lecture 3 in a series on placing Old English in Context, Religion and magic. Delivered by Dr S D Lee, Faculty of English, University of Oxford - 31/1/08. Stuart Lee 31 Jan 2008
6 Creative Commons Old English in Context Lecture 2 - Society Lecture delivered by Dr Stuart D Lee, 24/1/08, English Faculty, University of Oxford on Anglo-Saxon society in relation to the literature. Stuart Lee 24 Jan 2008
5 Creative Commons Old English in Context Lecture 1 - Historical texts Lecture by Dr S. D. Lee, Faculty of English, Oxford University - placing Old English literature in its historical and social context. Stuart Lee 17 Jan 2008
4 Creative Commons Anglo-Saxon Tour - British Museum Enhanced Podcast Tour of the Anglo-Saxon exhibits on display at the British Museum by Dr S. D. Lee, Faculty of English, University of Oxford, 27th April 2007. Stuart Lee 26 Apr 2007
3 Creative Commons Beowulf reading, ll. 26-52 Reading from Beowulf ll. 26-52 by Stuart D Lee, University of Oxford. Recorded March 2007. Stuart Lee 29 Mar 2007
2 Creative Commons Anglo-Saxon Chronicle reading Reading from an entry in The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle by Stuart D Lee, University of Oxford. Recorded March 2007. Stuart Lee 28 Mar 2007
1 Creative Commons Old English Tour - British Library Audio Only Tour of the Old English Manuscripts on display at the British Library by Dr S. D. Lee, Faculty of English, University of Oxford, 21st March 2007. Stuart Lee 21 Mar 2007