Both the city and University of Oxford have made their mark on literature. The prestigious university has attracted many great writers and thinkers, and its academia-filled city has influenced even those who have never studied there. These novels will transport you to Oxford’s hallowed university halls, vast and knowledge-filled libraries, charming pubs, and manicured quadrangles.
Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh
This novel is a mediation on the ideal and romanticized England that existed before things were forever altered by World War II. It is told in a series of reflections following Charles Ryder, who befriends the charming and youthful Sebastian Flyte while a student at Oxford. When Charles is invited to stay with Sebstian’s aristocratic family, he becomes enthralled by their life of privilege, however fleeting. As he becomes increasingly caught up in their family dynamic, he realizes just how different he is from this fading Catholic aristocratic family. The novel is partly based on Evelyn Waugh’s own experience as a student at Oxford himself.
The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman
Another novel from a former pupil, Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials series features a fantastical Oxford. Orphan Lyra has grown up in the university setting, where she plays and roams the halls with her sole friend, a daemon named Pantalaimon. When the feisty girl uncovers a plot threatening the children in her world, she embarks on a treacherous journey North. Fans of the series who want more of this magical Oxford setting should also pick up the tie-in novella Lyra’s Oxford.
My Oxford Year by Julia Whelan
Ella Duran may be American, but ever since she was a little girl, she has dreamed of attending Oxford. After winning the coveted Rhodes Scholarship, her 13-year-old dreams finally become a reality. Her impressive job working on a political campaign suddenly turns remote, and she journeys across the pond for a year-long sojourn. She has been thinking about this moment for as long as she could remember, but she never imagined her first day would consist of a cheeky and audacious local ruining her shirt. She would like to put the unfortunate encounter in the past, but unfortunately this brazen man also turns out to be her English literature instructor, Jamie Davenport. Her Oxford Year is not going as planned, especially when a nightcap with Jamie reveals a deep connection none of them expected. What follows is a brilliant love story, but Jamie has a secret and Ella has an expiration date.
A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness
Diana Bishop has shunned her witch heritage. She now lives her life without magic, spending her days as an academic studying the history of alchemy. While deep in research in Oxford’s Bodleian Library, she mistakenly calls up a long hidden magical manuscript. Wanting nothing to do with it, she sends it back to the stacks, content never to think about it again. But the manuscript’s presence has sent out a beacon to all the magical folk in Oxford, daemons, witches, and vampires alike — and they all want their hands on it. Diana has a newfound target on her back. The reluctant witch finds herself seeking the help of an unlikely ally, vampire, and geneticist Matthew Clairmont. As the pair uncover the connection between their magical species and the coveted manuscript, a forbidden romance begins to blossom.
Babel by R.F. Kuang
Canton-born orphan Robin Smith’s life is forever changed when Professor Lovell brings him to London to begin an intense study of languages. The enigmatic Professor prepares Robin to go on to Oxford, where he will become part of the elite Royal Institute of Translation, also referred to as Babel. However, this isn’t the Oxford of today’s real world; it’s a university imbued with magic. There, Robin will be tasked with playing a part in this translation-fueled magic system, all to help advance the power of the British Empire. As Robin becomes more integrated in this perceived haven of knowledge, his unstable identity poses a startling moral question. By working as a translator, he is turning his back on his homeland, and on the wrong side of the fight against this colonial power. This unique, dark-academica fantasy is a brilliant mediation on language, imperialism, and education.
Bringing Down the Duke by Evie Dunmore
It’s 1879, and the first group of female students are beginning to be admitted into the prestigious Oxford University. In the class is Annabelle Archer, an intelligent and accomplished woman. Coming from an impoverished family, Annabelle is financially supported via a scholarship. In return for the financial help, she is charged with aiding the women’s suffrage movement by swaying influential men to their cause. Her target: the rakish yet calculated and powerful Sebastian Devereux, Duke of Montgomery. As she infiltrates the Duke’s home and social circles, she must keep her wits in the face of her growing attraction for this man she can’t stand. An extremely fun and socially relevant romance, Evie Dunmore’s League of Extraordinary Women series is historical romance at its best.
These transportative stories will make you feel as if you’re walking down Oxford’s cobblestone streets and gazing at its picturesque Gothic and Baroque architecture. Maybe you’ll even feel inspired to hit the books in a grand old library. Whether you want a touching love story, a brilliant classic, or a stirring fantasy, there is something here for every kind of reader.
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