College Shield

Literary Giants

Since the late Victorian period, from the time of Charles Kingsley the novelest, Magdalene has attracted some of the great figures of literature. Some joined the College's impressive collection of Honorary Fellows, including Thomas Hardy, Rudyard Kipling, T S Eliot, C S Lewis (also a Professorial Fellow here) and Seamus Heaney.


Others were students and teaching fellows: William Empson's status as one of the great literary critics is marred only very slightly by the fact that the College temporarily sent him away when 'engines of love' (condoms) were found in his room; I A Richards' work on practical criticism more or less established the parameters of the new Cambridge English Tripos in the 1920s; C K Ogden, the genius who translated Wittgenstein as well as inventing Basic English, an international language of only 850 words to facilitate communications across countries.


....You notice
How much more foliage appears by starlight;
That Hall shelters at night under the trees.
William Empson, Sleeping out in the (Magdalene) Cloister

Figures of Speech, An Anthology of writings by people connected with Magdalene is available for purchase as part of the College Appeal.