Centres and groups

Our research groups contribute to research seminars, organise symposia, workshops, and conferences, encourage research collaborations with external academic and non-academic organisations and explore public engagement opportunities.

Research groups

Mobilities in literature and culture

Examining pressing social and cultural issues as explored in works of literature across the literary periods.

New approaches to medieval literature

Developing and applying new theoretical and methodological approaches to researching medieval literature.

Potential literatures

Examining the development of new literary forms in contemporary fiction, poetry and film.

Surrey Shakespeare Centre

Bringing together researchers in English literature and the Guildford School of Acting to examine ‘Shakespeare in action’, i.e. Shakespeare works, cultural milieu, and reception, and the theory and practice of performance.

Illustration of the opera show, Tannhäuser

Victoriographies

Researching the literature of, and writings about the long nineteenth century.

Research centres

We have two major research centres.

Centre for Translation Studies

Sex, Gender and Sexualities Research Centre

Surrey Morphology Group

New Approaches to Medieval Literature Group

We develop and apply new theoretical and methodological approaches to researching medieval literature, with specific focus on feminism, queer theory, postcolonialism and the global. Our work centres on innovative ways of understanding texts produced in the period c.600-c.1500. Gender and sexuality, race and ethnicity, multilingualism, and spatiality and temporality are key topics we address.

Literary journalism

Literary women in the middle ages: An interview with Diane Watt

Completed projects

Women's Literary Culture and The Medieval Canon

Women’s Literary Culture Before The Conquest

Find an expert

Professor Diane Watt

Research lead

d.watt@surrey.ac.uk

Dr Leona Archer

Senior Lecturer in French

Dr Judith Kaup

Lecturer in German

Dr Amy Morgan

Lecturer in Medieval Literature

Potential Literatures Group

We examine the development of new literary forms in contemporary fiction, poetry and film, and the history of innovative forms in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries from literary-historical, literary-theoretical, and filmic perspectives. Our work is organised around the idea of literary potential, combining work by both theorists and practitioners of literature.

Impact in conversation

Hear from Dr Stephen Mooney talking about the importance of contemporary literature and creative writing research and its impact.

Literary journalism

Hard, soft, smooth, rough - we need better words if Brexit is going to work

Written by Bran Nicol.

Find an expert

Dr Stephen Mooney

Research lead

Dr Liz Bahs

Senior Lecturer in Creative Writing; Programme Director for BA English Literature and / with Creative Writing

Dr Helen Hughes

Visiting Lecturer

Dr Allan Kilner-Johnson

Professor of English Literature

Professor Bran Nicol

Professor of English Literature / University Co-Lead for Research Culture: People and Environment

Dr Angela Szczepaniak

Lecturer in Creative Writing

Dr Paul Vlitos

Senior Lecturer in Creative Writing

Victoriographies Group

We research the literature of, and writings about the long nineteenth century. Our research interests focus on nineteenth-century literature and visual cultures, travel writing, Victorian creative partnerships, theatre and sensation fiction, Victorian celebrity, nineteenth-century narratives of the past, decadence and Neo-Victorianism.

Podcasts

Charles Dickens: A Christmas Carol

Talking about the context of Dickens original novel and its reception at the time.

Hauntings by Vernon Lee

Discussing Vernon Lee's collection of supernatural tales, Hauntings (1890).

Seminar series

We run monthly seminars dedicated to Victorian and Neo-Victorian literature. Past seminars have included Lillian Nayder on "Dickens, flesh and blood" and Talia Schaffer on "The fortunate fall: ill writing and Sanditon".

View upcoming seminars