I studied at Oxford for both my undergraduate and graduate degrees, and then held a Mellon Postdoctoral Fellowship at The Oxford Research Centre in the Humanities (TORCH) before joining Brasenose in 2016. As well as teaching at Brasenose, I write and lecture widely about the literature and history of medieval England.

I teach papers in the first and second year which between them cover the first 900 years of literature in English (c.650 to 1550), as well as a first-year paper which deals with the study of the English language.

In the first year, I teach a paper which covers early medieval English literature from its first recorded beginnings up to 1350 – the literature of the Anglo-Saxons and the centuries following the Norman Conquest. I also teach the language section of the first-year paper ‘Introduction to English Language and Literature’, a paper which allows students to explore a variety of different approaches to literary texts and the ways writers use language.

In the second year, the paper I teach deals with literature from 1350 to 1550. We look at a wide range of late medieval and early Tudor literature, from the time of Chaucer and Julian of Norwich to the period of the English Reformation and writers such as Thomas Wyatt and Thomas More.

My research centres on literature in England primarily between the tenth and the thirteenth centuries, with a particular focus on the literary and cultural impact of the Viking and Norman invasions. My first book Dragon Lords: The History and Legends of Viking England (2018) grew out of my doctoral research into the development and circulation of narratives about Viking invasion and settlement in medieval England. I have also published several articles relating to post-Conquest interpretations of Anglo-Scandinavian history, especially the reign of Cnut. My second book, Conquered: The Last Children of Anglo-Saxon England (2022), looked at the generation of English children who grew up in the aftermath of the Norman Conquest and examined interpretations of their lives in romance, hagiography and historical writing. I also have an interest in Old Norse literature and the cultural connections between England and Scandinavia in the medieval period; with Professor Heather O’Donoghue, I am co-editor of The Cambridge History of Old Norse-Icelandic Literature (2024).

My other main research interest is the history of the festival year, calendar customs, and medieval writing on time and the seasons. My most recent book is Winters in the World: A Journey Through the Anglo-Saxon Year (2022), tracking the cycle of the seasons and the festival year in a wide variety of texts from Anglo-Saxon England.

I write, review and lecture frequently on these and other medieval topics for a general audience, including writing a regular column for History Today (https://www.historytoday.com/author/eleanor-parker). I have published translations of medieval English poetry and have acted as a consultant translator for various interdisciplinary and media projects, as well as collaborating with contemporary poets, musicians and artists working with medieval literature. I’ve been interviewed for radio and television on subjects including the Vikings, Anglo-Saxon poetry, the Norman Conquest, medieval carols, and the history of the festival year.

Here are some links to talks and interviews about my work:

A BBC History Extra podcast interview about ‘Winters in the World’: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/winter-is-coming-the-anglo-saxon-year/id256580326?i=1000579177826

A lecture about my book ‘Conquered’ for the York Festival of Ideas: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPbJtkFADdE&

Talking about the Normans on Radio 4’s ‘Free Thinking’: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0d2090y

A recent talk on the medieval festival year in relation to the work of J.R.R. Tolkien: ‘Tolkien and the Autumnal Equinox’, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0z_J5ahmSc&