John Mullan is the Lord Northcliffe Professor of Modern English Literature at UCL and has been an influential figure in shaping modern understanding and appreciation of the 18th century novel.
John Mullan studied for his undergraduate and PhD degrees at Cambridge, taking a year in between to teach numeracy and literacy at Pentonville Prison. After a stint working as a lecturer at Cambridge, he joined UCL as a staff member in 1994, where he has taught English for almost 32 years, and has been Head of English (with intermissions) for 13 years.
Choosing to specialise in 18th century literature because it is “full of wit and irony and humour. It’s often very funny”, John is also a leading critic and scholar of Jane Austen’s work. He cites Austen’s Emma as his favourite novel of all time (a difficult choice for a literary specialist!).
The pleasure of Jane Austen is that so much is implicit; the reader has to work out what is really going on.
John’s published works are directed at engaging public interest in the novel. Books such as What Matters in Jane Austen? Twenty Essential Questions Answered and, most recently, The Artful Dickens aim to bridge the gap between academic criticism and popular readership, deepening appreciation of literature through accessible, insightful analysis.
Alongside this work, he wrote the weekly Guardian column Elements of Fiction, which explored narrative techniques in notable novels, ran the Guardian Book Club, involving live interviews with leading novelists, and regularly contributed to The London Review of Books and The New Statesman. He credits UCL’s supportive environment for getting him involved in literary journalism.
You are actively encouraged to reach out to the world beyond academia, and I have found that very liberating and stimulating.
John also works as a consultant for historical representations on screen, including popular regency-era TV series Bridgerton and the upcoming film adaptation of Sense and Sensibility, advising on language and historical anachronisms in scripts.
He highlights the diversity of literature and literary periods covered in the UCL BA English programme, catering to broad interests of both staff and students: “If you teach English here, you can’t just stay in your bunker.”
Reflecting on his long-term role leading the English department, he says:
I find it incredibly satisfying. I think (and hope) that my proudest achievement is making the students and staff in my department feel like they belong here.
