We are a top 10 research department and home to a major creative writing centre. We combine world-leading research with a proven commitment to high-quality teaching. Our expertise covers all literary periods, from the medieval to the present day, as well as literatures in English from across the globe.
Key facts
95%
of our research judged 'world-leading' or 'internationally excellent'
At Southampton, we are proud of the breadth and rigour of our teaching and research.
Students here discover new sides to familiar writers like William Shakespeare, Jane Austen or Margaret Atwood. They also encounter radically different writing in modules driven by our research expertise.
These include Arthurian manuscripts, Nigerian fantasy fiction, political manifestos, experimental genres, script writing and digital fiction.
The rich curriculum reflects our position as one of the UK’s most prestigious and exciting English departments: we were ranked joint 8th nationally for research in the latest census (Research Excellence Framework 2021), while 100% of students found our course 'intellectually stimulating' (National Student Survey 2023).
As researchers and educators, we are leading the way in demonstrating the role of English in shaping national and global conversations as well as policy. Our department is home to major funded projects exploring the cultural worlds of post-pandemic towns in the UK, the role of assistive technologies in changing our experiences of text and voice, and Elizabeth II’s legacy and role in the Caribbean.
English at Southampton fosters a lively and welcoming intellectual community. Our commitment to providing exceptional academic and pastoral support drives the success of our students, 93.9% of whom felt 'challenged to achieve their best work' on our courses (National Student Survey 2023).
Our third-year students examining rare books with Dr Callan Davies, Hartley Library Special Collections.
Our Research expertise
Our research culture is dynamic, creative, and collegial. English is a broad subject. We expand its reach through film documentaries, memoirs, and plays, as well as academic articles and monographs.
As researchers and tutors, we ask what words do in the world. This could mean exploring petro-chemical literature, interactions between literary and visual culture, or the cultural history of money.
Our high impact and award-winning research shapes policy and practice across many sectors. These include heritage, the marine environment, healthcare and gender diversity.
Our focus spans the entire range of contemporary literary studies. We delve into diverse subjects, such as medieval forests and refugee narratives. Other topics could include Jane Austen's afterlife, big data and narratives of extractivism.
We are also literary historians. We revisit Victorian seafarers' writings, analyse casting and theatre sites in Shakespeare's plays, reinterpret cultural meanings of sovereignty, and explore energy's significance in literary texts.
Our innovative research takes many forms. It includes literary festivals, public art installations, digital writing apps, textual editing, workshops and massive open online courses. This diversity connects the creative and the critical, and helps us champion an open and engaged culture of research.
Our academic staff have expertise in a wide range of specialisms.
Medieval and early modern / Renaissance
The research of our medievalists and early modern scholars includes:
maps and travel literature
the extended mind theory
Ben Jonson in print and performance
monarchy and the period of the English republic
sixteenth- and seventeenth-century drama
playhouse and theatre history
18th and 19th centuries
Our experts on these periods specialise in:
women writers and readers such as Jane Austen
the birth of the United States
gardens and landscape
Dickens and the popular press
Victorian ecology
the American gothic
maritime law and literature
20th century and modernism
The wide range of subjects taught and studied by our 20th century specialists includes:
British and Irish modernisms
histories of the novel in the 20th century
the drama of Howard Barker
the development of psychoanalytic theory
Holocaust studies
the history of the BBC
Contemporary fiction
Our colleagues working on contemporary fiction and art focus on:
experimental poetics
transmission and translation of voice
African fiction
digital storytelling
literary constructions of queerness
docu-fiction and life-writing
new American drama
Global and postcolonial
The department is a home to world-leading research in:
These programmes give students the chance to develop their writing and build confidence through small workshops, craft seminars, and one-on-one mentoring from established authors.
Tutors include:
award-winning writer Toby Litt (Corpsing, Dead Boy Detectives)
acclaimed non-fiction writer Philip Hoare (Leviathan)
novelist Rebecca Smith (The Jane Austen Writers’ Club)
novelist and Washington Post freelancer Carole Burns (The Last Country)
Our courses allow students to:
experiment with different forms and genres
attend intimate masterclasses and question-and-answer sessions with successful writers
take part in literary events such as our internationally renowned Writers in Conversation reading series
build industry knowledge and contacts through end of year agent and publisher showcases
gain practical publishing, editing and marketing experience on the production team of our annual graduate anthology, Avenues
Postgraduate study and support
We have a vibrant community of postgraduate taught and research students.
We offer taught MA degrees in English Literary Studies, Creative Writing, and Global Literary Industries Management. You'll study a range of specialist options as well as receive one-on-one supervision.
We also welcome applications from prospective PhD students. We offer a range of funding and scholarships. Browse our staff pages to find a potential supervisor and contact them to find out more.
We especially welcome applications from international students. Tailored support for international students includes:
Language classes
Summer pre-sessional programs
International student societies where you can connect with students from around the world
English at Southampton is committed to promoting equal treatment and access to institutional resources for all members of our community, whether students, academic staff or specialist staff.
We condemn and work to prevent discrimination based on:
age
class
disability
ethnicity
gender and gender affirmation
marital status
nationality
religious belief
sexual orientation
We encourage transparent communication and foster inclusive spaces for learning, working, and socialising, where it is safe for everyone to be themselves.
The study and practice of literature in our department are closely bound up with personal and world histories – some of them difficult. Many such issues and injustices animate our research. Modules in our programme may include the study of attitudes, narratives, language and ideas that may prove troubling, unsettling or distressing. We aim to help our students to make sense of such content by placing it in its historical, cultural and intellectual contexts, and by signalling appropriate classroom procedures for reading and discussing sensitive material.
While not shying away from discussing difficult and sensitive topics, we do all we can to ensure such discussions are conducted in a way that is considerate and respectful.
