Rachel Bryant Davies

Dr Rachel Bryant Davies is a Senior Lecturer in Comparative Literature at Queen Mary University of London, based in the School of Languages, Linguistics and Film. She holds a PhD from the Cambridge Victorian Studies Group and has held fellowships at Durham, Princeton, and Oxford. Her research focuses on classical reception in children’s culture and 19th-century media, examining how myths like Troy and Ovid’s Metamorphoses were adapted for didactic purposes across material formats. Current projects include a monograph on classical ideals in children’s literature and a British Academy-funded initiative on childhood resilience narratives during the pandemic, collaborating with Storytime magazine. She teaches courses on myth, modernity, and epic traditions, and has curated exhibits on everyday antiquity. Her work bridges Classics, literature, and cultural history, emphasizing non-elite engagement with classical heritage.

• Education: BA, MPhil, PhD (Classics) from Newnham College, Cambridge
• Key Roles: British Academy Principal Investigator (2020–2022), Oxford Archive of Performance of Greek and Roman Drama Associate

Research interests span classical adaptations in toys, periodicals, and popular theatre, with attention to ideological messaging in children’s media. Recent publications include monographs on Victorian burlesque and edited volumes on intersectional archives and childhood encounters with history.

Teaching responsibilities include courses such as Myth, Modernity, and Metamorphoses and Epic Remakes, reflecting her interdisciplinary approach to classical legacy in contemporary contexts.