What title did C.S. Lewis receive when he became Cambridge’s first Professor of Medieval and Renaissance Literature?

C.S. Lewis became Cambridge University’s first Professor of Medieval and Renaissance Literature in 1954. The appointment marked his move from Oxford, where he had taught English at Magdalen College since 1925.

The professorship reflected Lewis’s scholarly specialization. His academic work focused particularly on medieval and Renaissance literature, and his major studies included The Allegory of Love and English Literature in the Sixteenth Century, Excluding Drama. He continued writing fiction and Christian apologetics alongside his university responsibilities.

Lewis held the Cambridge chair until his retirement in 1963. He was also a Fellow of Magdalene College, Cambridge, a separate institution from Magdalen College, Oxford. That similar spelling is a frequent source of confusion: his long Oxford appointment was at Magdalen, while his Cambridge fellowship was at Magdalene.