Lucy King
Student spotlight details
After first studying at Oxford in the 1990s, Lucy returned years later to take the MSt in Literature and Arts while balancing family life and a passion for nineteenth-century art. That journey not only led to a PhD but also to her novel Noble Beasts, due to be published in May 2026.
'Originally from Kent, I studied Ancient and Modern History at Oxford as an undergraduate back in the 1990s. Since then, I’ve been a bookseller, bartender, corporate lawyer, editor, and copywriter.
'Just before COVID, I began researching the life of nineteenth-century animal painter, Edwin Landseer, while writing a historical novel. What I found proved so fascinating and surprising that I decided to pursue it in a more formal, academic context.
'I had young children, so I needed something flexible and with remote-learning options. Oxford Lifelong Learning offered the perfect combination of these, and, most importantly, courses on the periods, subjects, and methods I was interested in.
'I hadn’t studied formally for a long time, so I started with a short course in English Literature, which I loved. I followed this with another short course, this time on art history and criticism. This gave me the appetite and confidence to tackle more, so I applied for the MSt in Literature and Arts after speaking to a friend who’d done the course previously.
'The Master's is a wonderfully broad programme which opened my eyes to numerous new aspects of history, art, literature, and philosophy, which was challenging but extremely rewarding. Writing essays at this level on subjects I hadn’t previously studied was initially daunting, and imposter syndrome was a frequent early companion. Fortunately, the course seminars and reading lists provided useful, accessible introductions and made exploring uncharted territories a joy. After that, keeping curiosity under control and narrowing down topics for each essay (rather than disappearing down all the rabbit holes) was the hardest part.
'What I loved most about the academic side of the course was its historical breadth and inherent interdisciplinarity. I’ve always enjoyed viewing works of art and literature as historical artefacts as well as analysing them in their own right, and found the ethos of the MLA to be enormously helpful in identifying topics and methods for research that wouldn’t have been as evident using a more restrictive approach.
'On the non-academic side, the community of fellow MLA students was phenomenal. The in-person residences were brilliant bursts of Oxford student life, and it was a privilege to meet and work with people with a huge variety of backgrounds and life experiences. Highlights included watching the midsummer sun set in Port Meadow, trips to museums and country houses, crisps and Shakespeare DVDs in the common room, and attending eighteenth-century opera wearing Georgian-era wigs.
'I signed up for the MSt in Literature and Arts to help research a novel about scandal and mental health in the nineteenth-century art world, which will be published in May 2026 under the title Noble Beasts, (and under a pen name ‘Lucy Waverley’, which I shamelessly stole from Sir Walter Scott, whose works I enjoyed studying immensely during the course).
'As well as enabling me to realise my ambitions in fiction, the MLA also rekindled my love of academic study, and I have just started a part-time PhD at the University of Edinburgh, focusing on socio-political elements in Landseer’s paintings.
'I’d strongly recommend Oxford Lifelong Learning to anyone looking to learn – whether in a new field or to extend existing knowledge, whatever their background. The online open days and information videos are excellent, and I’d also advise contacting staff and current or former students with questions about course content, experience, and where to start.'
