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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
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 Simon Armitage
Professor of Poetry
Samuel Johnson
Shakespeare's first folio
Staging Shakespeare
The End of Journalism
Tolkien at Oxford
Valentine's Day at Oxford
War and Representation
Writers in Dialogue
# Episode Title Description People Date
1 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
2 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
3 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
4 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
5 Verse and Prose in Fantasy Literature An analysis of two forms that dominate fantasy literature. Katherine Olley 24 Nov 2020
6 Guy Gavriel Kay A short introduction to the writer Guy Gavriel Kay. Katherine Olley 24 Nov 2020
7 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
8 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
9 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
10 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
11 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
12 What Tolkien learnt from 'Beowulf': Representations of Evil Monsters and evil in Tolkien Rafael J. Pascual 16 Jul 2020
13 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
14 Sylvia Townsend Warner Carolyne Larrington introduces the writing of Sylvia Townsend Warner. Carolyne Larrington 26 May 2020
15 Ursula K. Le Guin A brief introduction to the writer Ursula K. Le Guin. Caroline Batten 13 May 2020
16 T. H. White A brief introduction to the writer T. H. White. Gabriel Schenk 12 May 2020
17 Diana Wynne Jones A brief introduction to the writer Diana Wynne Jones. Gabriel Schenk 12 May 2020
18 Why 'Game of Thrones' Matters 'Game of Thrones' and storytelling. Carolyne Larrington 12 May 2020
19 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
20 Interview: Catherine Butler An Interview with Dr Catherine Butler, author of the book 'Four British Fantasists'. Catherine Butler, Will Brockbank 12 May 2020
21 Alan Garner A brief introduction to the British fantasy writer, Alan Garner. Felix Taylor 12 May 2020
22 Approaching Fantasy Literature A short introduction to reading and studying fantasy literature. Stuart Lee 12 May 2020
23 H. P. Lovecraft A brief introduction to the writer, H. P. Lovecraft. Stuart Lee 12 May 2020
24 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
25 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
26 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
27 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
28 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
29 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
30 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
31 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
32 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
33 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
34 Creative Commons Race and Empire, 1660-1760 Ruth Scobie lectures on race and empire, 1660-1760. Ruth Scobie 14 Mar 2019
35 Creative Commons Drama and the Theatre, 1660-1760 Abigail Williams lectures on the staging of Restoration drama. Abigail Williams 14 Mar 2019
36 Creative Commons Literature and Gender, 1660-1760 Kathleen Keown considers representations of gender in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Kathleen Keown 07 Mar 2019
37 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
38 Creative Commons What is a Literary Period? Clare Bucknell considers how we define a literary period. Clare Bucknell 07 Mar 2019
39 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
40 Creative Commons What is a War Poem? Kate McLoughlin explores how we might define a war poem. Kate McLoughlin 07 Mar 2019
41 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
42 Creative Commons Character in Modern Drama Kirsten Shepherd-Barr investigates 'character' in Modern Drama Kirsten Shepherd-Barr 07 Mar 2019
43 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
44 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
45 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
46 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
47 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
48 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
49 '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
50 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
51 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
52 Free Reading Professor Lloyd Pratt delivers his inaugural lecture as Drue Heinz Professor of American Literature. Lloyd Pratt 22 May 2018
53 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
54 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
55 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
56 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
57 Laughter Lear once spoke of 'this ludicrously whirligig life which one suffers from first and laughs at afterwards.' Matthew Bevis 04 Apr 2018
58 Disgust This programme explores appetite, desire, and disgust in Lear. Jasmine Jagger 04 Apr 2018
59 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
60 Introduction This programme introduces Lear and outlines the structure of the programmes. Matthew Bevis 04 Apr 2018
61 Like, Elizabeth Bishop Professor of Poetry Simon Armitage delivers a lecture on the american writer and poet Elizabeth Bishop. Simon Armitage 20 Mar 2018
62 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
63 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
64 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
65 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
66 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
67 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
68 Numismatics - Coins, Money and Prices in Renaissance Italy Dr Alan Stahl (Curator of Numismatics, Princeton University) gives a talk in the new Centre for the Study of the Book Seminar series. Alan Stahl 29 Jan 2018
69 'Art and Attunement', by Professor Rita Felski, University of Virginia and Southern Denmark In this talk Rita Felski reported at new research on how we engage with works of art across a broad range (including cat videos) and considered the puzzling question of why we are drawn by some pieces of music, art and literature, and not by others. Rita Felski 19 Dec 2017
70 Creative Commons The Two Gentlemen of Verona Professor Emma Smith gives the last of her 2017 Shakespeare lectures on his early comedy, Two Gentlemen of Verona. Emma Smith 15 Dec 2017
71 The Hawks and the Doves – raptors and rapture in the poetry of Thom Gunn and Ted Hughes. Professor of Poetry Simon Armitage discusses the poems of Thom Gunn and Ted Hughes. Simon Armitage 15 Nov 2017
72 Creative Commons Henry VI, Part 2 Professor Emma Smith continues her Approaching Shakespeare series with a 2017 lecture on the early history play, Henry VI, Part 2. Emma Smith 09 Nov 2017
73 Creative Commons The Merry Wives of Windsor Professor Emma Smith lectures on Shakespeare’s The Merry Wives of Windsor. Emma Smith 25 Oct 2017
74 Creative Commons All's Well That Ends Well Professor Emma Smith lectures on Shakespeare’s comedy All's Well That Ends Well. Emma Smith 25 Oct 2017
75 Creative Commons Cymbeline Professor Emma Smith continues her Approaching Shakespeare series with a lecture on one of Shakespeare’s later plays, Cymbeline. Emma Smith 25 Oct 2017
76 Selma Dabbagh and Courttia Newland on writing and community Writers Selma Dabbagh and Courttia Newland read from their work, and discuss why they write, who they write for, their imagined audiences, and how their writing relates to their identities. Selma Dabbagh, Courttia Newland 25 Aug 2017
77 M. NourbeSe Philip on the haunting of history M. NourbeSe Philip reads from She Tries Her Tongue, Her Silence Softly Breaks (1988) and Zong! (2008) as she describes her poetic development. M NourbeSe Philip, Marina Warner, Matthew Reynolds, Elleke Boehmer 25 Aug 2017
78 Editors and contributors, The Cambridge History of Black and Asian British Writing Profs Susheila Nasta and Mark Stein speak about the genesis of their new Cambridge History project, Dr Gail Low discusses the networks and institutions of Caribbean-British writing. Susheila Nasta, Mark Stein, Gail Low, Henghameh Saroukhani 25 Aug 2017
79 Aminatta Forna on writing memory and trauma in The Memory of Love Aminatta Forna gives a reading from her award-winning novel, The Memory of Love (2010), and discusses it with Prof. Ankhi Mukherjee. She talks about the psychology of war and healing after conflict, and about love, betrayal and complicity. Aminatta Forna, Ankhi Mukherjee 25 Aug 2017
80 Nadifa Mohamed on travelling, home and belonging in Black Mamba Boy Nadifa Mohamed reads from and discusses her debut novel, Black Mamba Boy (2010), based on her father’s travels across the Horn of Africa before settling in Britain. Nadifa Mohamed, Kate Wallis 25 Aug 2017
81 D-Empress Dianne Regisford presents ‘Hersto-rhetoric? Na so today!!!’ D-Empress Dianne Regisford presents a performance installation that explores the notion of the liberated woman from an African feminist perspective. D-Empress Dianne Regisford, Rev J, Erica Lombard 25 Aug 2017
82 Daljit Nagra on voice and identity in Look We Have Coming to Dover! Daljit Nagra reads from and discusses his celebrated debut collection, Look We Have Coming to Dover! (2007). In conversation with Dr Rachael Gilmour and the audience, he speaks about how and why he writes his poetry, and the readers for whom he writes. Daljit Nagra, Rachael Gilmour 25 Aug 2017
83 Bernardine Evaristo on writing Britain’s Black histories In conversation with Dr Zoe Norridge and Marsha Hutchinson, Bernardine Evaristo reads from and discusses her remarkable verse novel, The Emperor’s Babe (2001), which tells the story of a African girl growing up in Roman London in 211 AD. Bernardine Evaristo, Zoe Norridge, Marsha Hutchinson 25 Aug 2017
84 Kamila Shamsie on writing history in A God in Every Stone Author Kamila Shamsie reads from her 2014 novel A God in Every Stone, and discusses it with Prof. Elleke Boehmer and the audience. Kamila Shamsie, Elleke Boehmer 25 Aug 2017
85 Readers and Readings Prof. Elleke Boehmer and Dr Erica Lombard consider how our reading experiences are shaped by various factors, from publishers’ decisions about book covers to the text itself. Elleke Boehmer, Erica Lombard 25 Aug 2017
86 95 Theses: On the Principles and Practice of Poetry Professor of Poetry Simon Armitage gives his sixth public lecture. Held on 16th May 2017. Simon Armitage 19 May 2017
87 We Need To Talk About Robert: Bob Dylan and the Nobel Prize for Literature' Professor of Poetry Simon Armitage gives a lecture about literature, poetry and Bob Dylan and the Nobel Prize for Literature. Held on 8th March 2017. Simon Armitage 14 Mar 2017
88 Nicholas Crouch's seventeenth-century books Professor Adam Smyth talks to cataloguer Lucy Kelsall and book conservator Nikki Tomkins about the seventeenth-century library of Nicholas Crouch, now in Balliol College, and how to deal with fragile books. Adam Smyth, Lucy Kelsall, Nikki Tomkins 13 Mar 2017
89 Words for Winter: Tales of Home The event showcases the best of Oxford’s writing. Gathering together tales from all over the globe, of tradition, family, darkness, light and celebration. Pete Salmond, Charlene Pablo, Erica McAlpine, Nancy Campbell 13 Dec 2016
90 ‘Comedy, Collaboration and Blur’: Talk and Q&A with John Osborne and Jane Berthoud An insightful discussion between comedy writer John Osborne and ex-Head of BBC Radio Comedy, Jane Berthoud. Jane Berthoud, John Osborne 13 Dec 2016
91 Writing for Stage and Screen: Q and A with Polly Stenham Q and A workshop with Polly Stenahm playwrite and screenwriter, on the process of writing her plays, how this differs from writing screenplays, and challenges of writing for stage and screen. Polly Stenham 14 Nov 2016
92 Access All Areas: Poetry and the Underworld Simon Armitage's fourth public lecture as Professor of Poetry, University of Oxford. Simon Armitage 14 Nov 2016
93 English Grammar Day 2016 English Grammar Day, with talks by Prof Deborah Cameron, Prof Simon Horobin, Prof Charlotte Brewer and others Deborah Cameron, Simon Horobin, Charlotte Brewer 10 Nov 2016
94 Critical Writing Dr Eleni Philippou, Leah Broad, Theophilus Kwek and James Watt in conversation. Eleni Philippou, Leah Broad, Theophilus Kwek, James Watt 07 Nov 2016
95 Mark Haddon, Daisy Johnson, and KJ Orr in Conversation Award-winning author Mark Haddon discusses his writing process and interests with local poet and writer Daisy Johnson. The conversation is moderated by KJ Orr. Mark Haddon, Daisy Johnson, KJ Orr 27 Jul 2016
96 How And Why I Write: Philip Pullman, Mary Loudon, Jane Griffiths, and Fintan Calpin in conversation Oxford authors and academics discuss their writing process. Philip Pullman, Mary Loudon, Jane Griffiths, Fintan Calpin 25 Jul 2016
97 On Lists Simon Armitage's third public lecture as Professor of Poetry, University of Oxford. Simon Armitage 18 May 2016
98 Mind the Gap: Omission, Negation and 'a final revelation of horrible Nothingness - ' Simon Armitage's second public lecture as Professor of Poetry, University of Oxford. Simon Armitage 08 Apr 2016
99 The Parable of the Solicitor and the Poet Simon Armitage, professor of poetry, University of Oxford delivers his inaugural lecture. Simon Armitage 08 Apr 2016
100 A Great Unrecorded History. LGBT Heritage and World Cultures Professor Parkinson discusses how to mobilise historical research into sexuality for maximum impact and the institutional, cultural and political issues that can be at stake, and suggests some of the possible uses of LGBTQ history. Richard Parkinson 25 Feb 2016