Faculty of English, University of Cambridge

The Faculty of English is a constituent part of the University of Cambridge. It was founded in 1914 as a Tripos within the Faculty of Medieval and Modern Languages. It could be studied only as a 'Part I' of a degree course, alongside a 'Part II' either in medieval languages or from another Tripos.^[1] In 1926, the course became a distinct Faculty.

The undergraduate degree course of 'Cambridge English', as well as the Faculty as a whole, is known for its distinctive focus on close reading (called Practical criticism), first championed by I. A. Richards and then later by William Empson and F. R. Leavis.^[2]^[3] Since the course was founded in 1926, Practical Criticism, Tragedy and Shakespeare have been mandatory parts of the course; the English Moralists paper (now renamed the Ethical Imagination) has also remained as an optional paper.^[1]

In the present day, its research focus is wide ranging: from Old English literature through to contemporary, and also associated themes such as digital humanities and the history of the book.^[4] One of its sub-divisions is the Department of Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic, the only department in the world dedicated to the Early Middle Ages.^[5]

Notable staff

The faculty's senior teaching posts include a number of named professorships:

Elrington and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon (currently Rosalind Love)
King Edward VII Professor of English Literature (currently Clair Wills)
Professor of Medieval and Renaissance English (Cambridge) (1954) (currently Nicolette Zeeman)
English (2001) Professor (currently Jennifer Richards)
Grace 2 Professor (currently Claire Pettitt)

Other notable current academics:

Priyamvada Gopal, Professor of Postcolonial Studies
John Kerrigan, Professor of English
Robert Macfarlane, Reader in Literature and the Geohumanities

People associated with the Faculty

Academics and public intellectuals

Marshall McLuhan
Arthur Quiller-Couch, the first holder of the King Edward VII Professorship
F. R. Leavis
C. S. Lewis
M. C. Bradbrook
Raymond Williams
E. M. W. Tillyard
Terry Eagleton
Germaine Greer
Eric Griffiths (critic)

Writers

Actors

Politicians

References

^ ^a ^b Zeeman, Nicolette (Spring 2021). "Things Go On..." (PDF). 9 West Road. pp. 2–4. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
^ Williams, Raymond (7 July 1983). "Cambridge English and Beyond". London Review of Books. Vol. 05, no. 12. ISSN 0260-9592. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
^ North, Joseph (2017). Literary Criticism: A Concise Political History. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. pp. 47–54. ISBN 9780674967731.
^ "Faculty Research Groups". Faculty of English. University of Cambridge. Retrieved 27 June 2021.
^ "About ASNC". Department of Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic. University of Cambridge. Retrieved 27 June 2021.

[:0-1] Zeeman, Nicolette (Spring 2021). "Things Go On..." (PDF). 9 West Road. pp. 2–4. Retrieved 28 December 2022.

[2] Williams, Raymond (7 July 1983). "Cambridge English and Beyond". London Review of Books. Vol. 05, no. 12. ISSN 0260-9592. Retrieved 28 December 2022.

[3] North, Joseph (2017). Literary Criticism: A Concise Political History. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. pp. 47–54. ISBN 9780674967731.

[4] "Faculty Research Groups". Faculty of English. University of Cambridge. Retrieved 27 June 2021.

[5] "About ASNC". Department of Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic. University of Cambridge. Retrieved 27 June 2021.

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