Elizabeth Gloyn

Dr. Gloyn is on research sabbatical during 2024-25.

My research focuses on the intersections between Latin literature, ancient philosophy and gender studies. I also have a strong specialism in classical reception. 

• My core research is on Seneca the younger and his approach to Stoicism and the family. As a result, I'm interested in his works in general and the social history that provides the context for understanding them, as well as the way that he reshapes Stoicism for Roman culture.
• In the broader field of Latin literature, I'm interested in innovative approaches to familiar texts, particularly from a feminist perspective or from an angle that incorporates social history and the family.
• One half of my classical reception interests focused on classics in popular culture, with a particular interest in film and children's literature. My book on the reception of classical monsters in popular culture was published by Bloomsbury Academic in 2019 and I have a forthcoming chapters on classical monsters in fan fiction. 
• The other half is interested in the history of women and classics, in particular how women became professional academic classicists in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries

I am currently starting to shape my next book project, which will look at how Seneca uses the family in his tragedies, incorporating both philosophical and literary readings. 

My teaching is deeply entwined with my research; as well as teaching Latin, I designed and sometimes teach a first year half-unit exploring imperial Roman literature, and I contribute to our third year course "Contemporary Approaches to Latin Literature", which takes our students face to face with cutting-edge research and theoretical readings of ancient poetry and prose. 

If you’re thinking about potential PhD study, I’m interested in supervising work looking at Seneca, the Roman Stoics, innovative readings of Roman literature, and other topics related to my research interests. I do not intend to sponsor any PhD applications for the 25-26 academic year.

As well as academic journal articles and books, I have written for publications with a wider public audience including Times Higher Education, The Conversation, History Today and Strange Horizons. I have media experience working with television, documentary film, radio and newspapers.