English and Classical Studies

English literature and classical studies are disciplines that have shaped each other across centuries. The literature of ancient Greece and Rome provided the imaginative and formal models that English writers have returned to again and again, from the Renaissance through to the twentieth century and beyond. Studying them together means you encounter each tradition not as a sealed archive but as a living conversation, in which ancient texts generate new meanings when they are read through the eyes of later writers, and English literature gains depth when its classical foundations become visible.

At the University of Bristol, this three-year full-time degree combines investigation of the ancient Graeco-Roman world with study of English writing from all periods. You will engage with major works of epic, drama, philosophy, and history in translation, while also developing the skills of close reading and literary analysis that English study demands. The programme explores how later writers have reimagined and re-animated ancient texts and topics, from Milton's use of Homer to the retellings of classical myth in contemporary fiction.

A foundation year is available for students who would benefit from additional preparation before the main degree begins. You will develop skills in textual interpretation, historical contextualisation, and argument, learning to write with precision about complex material.

Graduates from English and classical studies are well prepared for careers in the law, publishing, journalism, education, heritage and museums, cultural policy, and the civil service. The combination of literary breadth, historical awareness, and analytical rigour that the degree develops is valued across many professions. Postgraduate study in English literature, classical studies, comparative literature, and law are common progression routes, and many graduates also complete teacher training to work in secondary education.