Helen Small

Professor Helen Small holds the Merton Chair of English Language & Literature at the University of Oxford. Her work bridges literature, intellectual history, and moral philosophy, with a focus on post-1830 thought. Central to her research are questions about the humanities' societal value, aging's philosophical implications, and Victorian literature's engagement with morality.

• Current Projects: Leverhulme Trust-funded The Function of Cynicism at the Present Time
• Editorial Roles: Journal of Victorian Culture and History of Humanities

Her research interests coalesce around five key humanities value propositions: meaning-making, societal utility, happiness, democratic engagement, and intrinsic worth. She critiques economistic frameworks through works like The Value of the Humanities (2013) and explores aging's philosophical dimensions in The Long Life (2007). Recent essays analyze Trollope's political narratives, Brontë's moral psychology, and Carlyle's controversial rhetoric.

Publications demonstrate interdisciplinary reach across Victorian fiction, critical theory, and science's literary intersections. Her edited volumes include works by Thackeray, Trollope, and Dickens through the Oxford World's Classics series. Teaching focuses on Victorian literature, critical theory, and philosophy-literature crossovers.