Faculty of English Language and Literature

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.

All episodes

Title	Description	People	Date
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	7 March, 2019
Character in Modern Drama	Kirsten Shepherd-Barr investigates 'character' in Modern Drama	Kirsten Shepherd-Barr	7 March, 2019
Brilliant Paradoxes and Corrosive Epigrams; or Why Oscar Wilde Went to Trial	Sos Eltis looks at Oscar Wilde’s 1895 trial.	Sos Eltis	4 March, 2019
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 February, 2019
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, Ben Nicholls, Barney Morse-Brown.	19 February, 2019
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, Ewan McPherson	12 February, 2019
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	8 February, 2019
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 January, 2019
'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 January, 2019
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 December, 2018
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 November, 2018
Free Reading	Professor Lloyd Pratt delivers his inaugural lecture as Drue Heinz Professor of American Literature.	Lloyd Pratt	22 May, 2018
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
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
‘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
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	4 April, 2018
Laughter	Lear once spoke of 'this ludicrously whirligig life which one suffers from first and laughs at afterwards.'	Matthew Bevis	4 April, 2018
Disgust	This programme explores appetite, desire, and disgust in Lear.	Jasmine Jagger	4 April, 2018
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	4 April, 2018
Introduction	This programme introduces Lear and outlines the structure of the programmes.	Matthew Bevis	4 April, 2018
Like, Elizabeth Bishop	Professor of Poetry Simon Armitage delivers a lecture on the american writer and poet Elizabeth Bishop.	Simon Armitage	20 March, 2018
Creative Media Lecture 02	In the second lecture, Stig Abell discusses the future of modern and social journalism.	Stig Abell	12 March, 2018
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 March, 2018
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	6 February, 2018
'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 December, 2017
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 December, 2017
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 November, 2017
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	9 November, 2017
The Merry Wives of Windsor	Professor Emma Smith lectures on Shakespeare’s The Merry Wives of Windsor.	Emma Smith	25 October, 2017
All's Well That Ends Well	Professor Emma Smith lectures on Shakespeare’s comedy All's Well That Ends Well.	Emma Smith	25 October, 2017
Cymbeline	Professor Emma Smith continues her Approaching Shakespeare series with a lecture on one of Shakespeare’s later plays, Cymbeline.	Emma Smith	25 October, 2017
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 August, 2017
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 August, 2017
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, Florian Stadtler	25 August, 2017
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 August, 2017
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 August, 2017
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 August, 2017
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 August, 2017
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 August, 2017
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 August, 2017
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 August, 2017
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
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 March, 2017
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 March, 2017
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, Kate Clanchy	13 December, 2016
‘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 December, 2016
Access All Areas: Poetry and the Underworld	Simon Armitage's fourth public lecture as Professor of Poetry, University of Oxford.	Simon Armitage	14 November, 2016
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 November, 2016
Critical Writing	Dr Eleni Philippou, Leah Broad, Theophilus Kwek and James Watt in conversation.	Eleni Philippou, Leah Broad, Theophilus Kwek, James Watt	7 November, 2016
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 July, 2016
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 July, 2016
On Lists	Simon Armitage's third public lecture as Professor of Poetry, University of Oxford.	Simon Armitage	18 May, 2016
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	8 April, 2016
The Parable of the Solicitor and the Poet	Simon Armitage, professor of poetry, University of Oxford delivers his inaugural lecture.	Simon Armitage	8 April, 2016
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 February, 2016
The Tamer Tam'd: John Fletcher	A riposte to Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew	Emma Smith	16 November, 2015
The Lord of the Rings: Tolkien's Legacy	60 years since the publication of the series' final volume, a distinguished panel explore Tolkien's literary legacy.	Elleke Boehmer, Stuart Lee, Patrick Curry, Dimitra Fimi, Andy Orchard	16 November, 2015
Tis Pity She's a Whore: John Ford	Reboot of Romeo and Juliet and other Elizabethan plays	Emma Smith	11 November, 2015
The Witch Of Edmonton	Witchcraft and bigamy.	Emma Smith	3 November, 2015
A Chaste Maid in Cheapside: Thomas Middleton	This lecture discusses comedy, fertility, and all those illegitimate children in this play about sex, economics and meat.	Emma Smith	27 October, 2015
The Alchemist: Ben Jonson	Written in the context of plague in London, The Alchemist’s plot and language are deeply concerned with speed and speculation.	Emma Smith	27 October, 2015
Dr Faustus: Christopher Marlowe	My lecture on this infernal play discusses Elizabethan religion, the revisions to the play, and whether we should think about James Bond in its final minutes.	Emma Smith	26 October, 2015
Timon of Athens	Emma Smith finishes her Approaching Shakespeare series with a lecture on the play Timon of Athens.	Emma Smith	23 June, 2015
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	27 May, 2015
Julius Caesar	This lecture on Julius Caesar discusses structure, tone, and politics by focusing on the cameo scene with Cinna the Poet.	Emma Smith	18 May, 2015
Graham Greene and Josephine Reid	Adam Smyth talks to Balliol College, Oxford archivist Anna Sander about an exciting new archive of letters relating to Graham Greene and his secretary, Josephine Reid.	Adam Smyth, Anna Sander	13 May, 2015
Romeo and Juliet	This lecture on Romeo and Juliet tackles the issue of the spoiler-chorus, in an already-too-familiar play. This podcast is suitable for school and college students.	Emma Smith	5 May, 2015
Coriolanus	This lecture takes up a detail from Shakespeare’s late Roman tragedy Coriolanus to ask about the representation of character, the use of sources and the genre of tragedy.	Emma Smith	5 May, 2015
The Craft and Cunning of Anglo-Saxon Verse	Professor Andy Orchard gives the Inaugural Lecture of the Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon. This lecture was delivered on the 25th February 2015.	Andy Orchard	26 March, 2015
Hand-press printing	A demonstration of and discussion about hand-press printing with the Bodleian's Dr Paul Nash.	Paul Nash, Adam Smyth	25 September, 2014
Edmund Blunden	Margi Blunden, daughter of Edmund Blunden, talks about her father and his work.	Margi Blunden	23 September, 2014
Impact of the 1914 – 1918 Poets	Adrian Barlow looks at the impact of World War One poets in the years immediately following the War, in late 20s and early 30s, and as we embark on the 100 year anniversary of the conflict.	Adrian Barlow	23 September, 2014
Poetry of the Empire	World War One was a conflict of empire, not of nation. In this lecture Dr Simon Featherstone looks at four distinctive poets who provide a version of empire that is much more nuanced than the imperial rhetoric of the established canon.	Simon Featherstone	22 September, 2014
Siegfried Sassoon	Meg Crane looks at the war poems of Siegfried Sassoon, framed by the first and last (non-war) poems of his literary career.	Meg Crane	22 September, 2014
'Earth Voices Whispering’: Reading Ireland’s Poetry of WWI: An Introduction	Professor Gerald Dawe relates the Irish poetry of World War One to the history of Ireland itself and explores why the first anthology of Irish WW1 Poetry was only published in 2008.	Gerald Dawe	22 September, 2014
David Jones	Often overlooked, Dr Stuart Lee introduces David Jones and his seminal work 'In Parenthesis'.	Stuart Lee	22 September, 2014
Wilfred Owen	Professor Jon Stallworthy, editor and biographer of Wilfred Owen, introduces one of the most notable poets of World War One.	Jon Stallworthy	22 September, 2014
Isaac Rosenberg: ‘Fierce Imaginings’ – the Private and the Poet	Author and editor, Jean Liddiard, presents the life and work of Isaac Rosenberg.	Jean Liddiard	20 September, 2014
Ivor Gurney: A Poet born out of War	Dr Philip Lancaster presents the life of literary musician Ivor Guney, and introduces some the key themes in his poetry.	Philip Lancaster	20 September, 2014
Manuscripts	In this short talk Dr Stuart Lee introduces some of the primary sources of World War One poetry: manuscripts.	Stuart Lee	20 September, 2014
Poetry vs. History	What place do the poets and their work have in the historical analysis of the War? Dr Stuart Lee takes a look at the debate.	Stuart Lee	20 September, 2014
‘On your lips my life is hung’: Robert Graves and War	Dr Charles Mundye takes a look at how Robert Graves' experiences and feelings about War that influenced his poetic career.	Charles Mundye	18 September, 2014
Women Poets	Dr Jane Potter looks at a range of women poets who wrote during, and in the years that followed, World War One.	Jane Potter	18 September, 2014
Edward Thomas: Edwardian War Poet	Dr Guy Cuthbertson takes an in-depth look at the poet Edward Thomas.	Guy Cuthbertson	15 September, 2014
Popular Poetry	Dr Stuart Lee discusses the popular poetry of the War years and the formation of the canon in the years that followed.	Stuart Lee	15 September, 2014
Georgians and Others	Dr Stuart Lee gives a short introduction to the poetry movements that led up to the War.	Stuart Lee	15 September, 2014
The Early Poets	Dr Alisa Miller looks at the popular poets in the early years of the War and the way that the press and publishing worlds created a commercial culture in support of the conflict.	Alisa Miller	14 September, 2014
War Poetry	Dr Mark Rawlinson explores the relationship between War and War Poetry using Owen's famous 'Preface' as the starting point.	Mark Rawlinson	14 September, 2014
Love and Math	A public lecture given by Edward Frenkel, a professor at the University of California at Berkeley, talking around his best-selling book "Love and Math" followed by a conversation with Marcus du Sautoy and Q&A.	Edward Frenkel, Marcus du Sautoy	12 July, 2014
Scribal correction and literary craft: English manuscripts 1375-1510	Adam Smyth talks to Professor Daniel Wakelin about his new book on cultures of correction in later medieval manuscripts.	Daniel Wakelin, Adam Smyth	8 July, 2014
'Almost Identical': Copying Books in England, 1600-1900	Henry Woudhuysen joins Adam Smyth to discuss the history of facsimiles.	Henry Woudhuysen, Adam Smyth	19 June, 2014
The History of Oxford University Press	Adam Smyth is joined by Professor Ian Gadd to discuss his just-published collection on the history of OUP.	Adam Smyth, Ian Gadd	17 March, 2014
Peter D McDonald in conversation with Daljit Nagra	Peter D. McDonald talks to the poet Daljit Nagra about cultural diversity, the contemporary life and history of the English language, the canons of English literature, and translation.	Peter McDonald, Daljit Nagra	17 March, 2014
Bibliography in Bits	Adam Smyth talks to Professor Will Noel about the potentials of digital technology for the study of manuscripts.	Will Noel, Adam Smyth	23 February, 2014
Early modern plays in bits and pieces	Professor Tiffany Stern joins Dr Adam Smyth to discuss her current research on the materiality of the early modern play text. What happens to our thinking about plays when prologues, epilogues and songs become mobile pieces, detached from the whole?	Tiffany Stern, Adam Smyth	3 February, 2014
5. Wilde's Plays	Fifth lecture in the Osar Wilde series. Sos Eltis talks about Oscar Wilde's plays including an Ideal Husband, The Importance of Being Ernest and A Woman of No Importance.	Sos Eltis	12 November, 2013
4. Wilde and Sexuality	Fourth lecture in the Oscar Wilde series. Looking at Wilde's sexuality and how it influenced his literature.	Sos Eltis	11 November, 2013
Why should we study Old English Literature?	Dr Francis Leneghan of St Cross College, Oxford, discusses his current research around Beowulf and proposes why we should still study Old English Literature.	Francis Leneghan	7 November, 2013
Victorian Realism and the Implied Reader	Michael Whitworth, English Faculty, Oxford University, gives a lecture at the English Faculty Open day around Victorian literature.	Michael Whitworth	6 November, 2013
3. Art and Morality	Sos Eltis gives the third lecture in the series on Oscar Wilde, focussing on Wilde's concept of morality shown in his works including the Picture of Dorian Gray, Lord Arthur Savile's Crime and The Devoted Friend.	Sos Eltis	29 October, 2013

Faculty of English Language and Literature

Related

Series in this collection

The End of Journalism

Great Writers Inspire at Home

Oxford Writers' House Talks

Poetry with Simon Armitage

"British" World War One Poetry: An Introduction

Centre for the Study of the Book

English at Oxford

Oscar Wilde

Challenging the Canon

Leonard Woolf's The Village in the Jungle (1913): A Day Symposium

All episodes