What academic subject did C.S. Lewis hold a Cambridge professorship in from 1954?

C.S. Lewis held a Cambridge professorship in Medieval and Renaissance English from 1954. He became the first holder of the newly established chair at Cambridge University.

Before moving to Cambridge, Lewis had taught English at Magdalen College, Oxford, from 1925. His Oxford scholarship included medieval and Renaissance literature, and his academic writing ranged across subjects such as allegory, literary history, and the development of English prose and poetry.

At Cambridge, Lewis was a fellow of Magdalene College. The college name is spelled with a final “e,” distinguishing it from Magdalen College in Oxford, where he had spent most of his earlier teaching career.

Lewis’s academic reputation was substantial even apart from his popular religious and fictional books. His studies The Allegory of Love and English Literature in the Sixteenth Century are important examples of his literary criticism. His Cambridge chair connected his professional role directly with the historical periods he studied.