C.S. Lewis became the first holder of Cambridge University’s chair of Medieval and Renaissance English in 1954. The appointment marked his move from Oxford to Cambridge after nearly three decades teaching at Magdalen College.
The Cambridge chair recognized Lewis’s scholarly expertise in older English literature. His academic work included studies of medieval and Renaissance texts, literary history, and the development of English criticism. He continued writing popular Christian and imaginative books while holding the professorship.
The position is sometimes described as a general English chair, but its formal focus was Medieval and Renaissance English. Lewis remained associated with both universities: Oxford shaped most of his teaching career, while Cambridge provided his final major academic post. He held the Cambridge chair until his retirement in 1963.