J.R.R. Tolkien’s Oxford academic field focused on old English texts was Anglo-Saxon.
Tolkien became Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Oxford University in 1925. The field, now often called Old English studies, examines the language and literature of England before the Norman Conquest, including works such as Beowulf. Tolkien’s professional expertise strongly influenced his fiction, invented languages, names, and ideas about heroic legend.
He later held the Merton Professorship of English Language and Literature from 1945 until his retirement in 1959. His lectures and scholarship helped make Old English literature more accessible to generations of students.
The term Anglo-Saxon in this academic context refers chiefly to the language, literature, and culture of early medieval England. It should not be confused with Tolkien’s separate study of medieval Welsh, Finnish, Gothic, and other languages that also influenced his creative work.