Where Can Classics Take You? Mini Magazine

A note from the Bloomsbury Classics team

Hello and welcome!

We launched our Where Can Classics Take You? campaign to help highlight the long-term benefits and importance of a subject we care so deeply about. Whether it’s learning a classical language or studying the ancient world, classics teaches so many transferable skills that can open up numerous career opportunities.

In these pages you’ll find interviews, stories and personal accounts from people who studied classics. Each of them tell us, in their own words, what they love about classics and where it’s taken them. Plus, you’ll find book recommendations and resources from our partners to help you find out more about classics and the communities available to you.

Thank you to all who helped contribute to this magazine!

Would you like to share your classics story?

Email us at schoolsclassics@bloomsbury.com

@BloomsburyClass

www.bloomsbury.com/WhereCanClassicsTakeYou

Classics Beyond the Classroom

We sent a message out to the classics community asking them to tell us what they love so much about this subject and where it’s taken them. Here are just a few of our favourites.

Natalie Chapman, Campaigns Executive at Penguin Random House Audio

Studying Classics equips you for a variety of careers with transferable skills from translation to research, essay writing to critical thinking, not to mention a knowledge base spanning literature, history, linguistics, philosophy, art and more!

I chose to read Classics BA at the University of Cambridge because I wanted to study a breadth of humanities subjects, rather than being limited to just one or two. Since then, Classics has taken me from the arts & heritage sector to marketing in the publishing industry, and I'm sure it will continue to open doors for me in the future!

DD, Retired Teacher

Classics has influenced every area of my life right up to now at age 65! I studied Latin and English at Warwick, then completed an MA in Latin, before studying the Latin Speakers of the Balkans with my professor and going to drama school and on to teach Classics at Mayfield. Finally, in retirement, I am currently recreating with narrative, acting and crafting the stories from Classical Literature for children who are home educated, while also writing a novel.

Classics has affected every area of my life and made me who I am today, someone who loves to educate others, whether through performance, storytelling or writing. I simply love Classics and the way it has engaged me in literature, language and a culture that is still relevant and wonderful.

Kim Drummond, Head of Classics, St. Edmund’s School

Classics has changed my life. Having served for 23 years in the Royal Navy I undertook an Open University degree in Classics and this enabled me to, finally, become a teacher. I am now Head of Classics and passionate about my subject. I am shortly to commence a Master’s degree in classics, again with the OU - who knows where that may take me!

William Arnold, Retired Civil Servant, UK Supreme Court

The subject is so broad it makes classicists famously flexible and able to take on anything. Also it gives a much wider perspective on the world in general.

From Classics to Electric Motorsport

Hello! I’m Frederick Bird, and I work in London in the finance department at Formula E – do look up a race on YouTube if you haven’t heard of it before! I previously did a Master’s in Byzantine Studies at Oxford, and before that I did my undergrad in Classics at Cambridge.

It is a wonderful thing to be able to study the lives and thoughts of people who are, in many ways, so distant.

When studying the ancient texts, you realise that the Greeks and Romans were in some ways very different from us, and yet very relatable. It is good to be able to put yourself in other people’s shoes and to think about things from their perspective, and Classics offers a special opportunity in this regard. It should also be said that in spending time studying other people, you will learn a lot about yourself.

When I was studying Classics, I never expected that this would lead to a job in electric motorsport! Working in the finance department of Formula E has made use of lots of the skills that I’ve learnt and developed over the last few years, in particular the ability to create a concise narrative from large amounts of information and to work quickly under pressure while maintaining high standards.

I love Classics because it stimulates the mind in so many different ways.

Personally I like getting into the nitty-gritty of textual and grammatical questions. I’ve spent a long time looking at Byzantine manuscripts of classical texts, which has helped me develop an eye for detail while making sure that I don’t lose sight of the bigger picture. It has also helped me to think carefully and critically and look at problems from a new perspective. There are lots of ‘unknowns’ about the classical world and you will find that coming up with creative solutions is often the best way to give answers to age-old questions! This skill is really useful in all sorts of areas of life, and employers know that the application of creative and critical thought is usually the most important step in adding value to a project.

Classics is a very versatile degree and opens up lots of different options.

My friends who have studied Classics have gone into law, teaching, politics, finance, publishing… and many other fields! It allows you to develop and showcase many different skills that are attractive to employers.

I would also say that, even more importantly, it is a really enjoyable degree. There are so many areas that you can choose to study within the subject that if you look carefully you will find something that fascinates you. It will also enrich your life beyond university, and I certainly find that it’s still exciting to learn about the ancient world even though I’m no longer a student. I know that it can be tempting to think, ‘It will make career decisions so much simpler if I choose a degree that leads directly into a particular job’ – and this might seem the easiest option. But I would encourage you to be bold and study the subject that you enjoy the most, rather than making a more ‘tactical’ choice. It will mean that your time at university is more satisfying, and you will probably do better because of it!

From Classics to Computing

Adrian Thompson grew up in north west England, studying languages at school and university before working in a technical library then learning to program computers for large public and private organisations.

I can’t recall exactly when my love of Classics – or more particularly my love of the Latin language – started, but it must have been when I was seven or eight years old.

I used to attend the local Catholic Church with my family, and at that time in the UK, the service had elements of both English and Latin.

The service sheet therefore contained both languages and at quiet moments I compared the two … I was intrigued to see that the Latin version was in most cases shorter than the English. Now how did that happen? How do two or three English words fit into a single word of Latin? And so my fascination was born.

Classics is very dear to me. At school and sixth form Latin was my favourite subject and French and Latin were the subjects I took for my BA degree. Looking back, I realise that Latin was something I enjoyed for its own sake, and formed a welcome escape route from domestic difficulties, for which I will always be grateful.

There were opportunities to ‘use’ Latin in teaching or further academic study after my degree. However, I chose to look elsewhere and after an enjoyable spell at an academic library I decided to pursue a career in computing and was accepted by British Rail as a graduate trainee.

My studies definitely helped in my switch to IT; the process of translating Latin helped me understand the structure of certain computer programming languages, and imparted an intellectual discipline that helped me bring a structured approach to coding, testing and debugging that has served me well ever since.

After my initial training I worked on many different projects, subsequently moving to a financial services company and working with computers for over thirty-five years. Not bad for a language graduate who hadn’t really used a computer until their twenties!

If you wish to study a subject which encompasses many things which are important and may well encourage you to think in an independent way, then seriously consider the classics.

Your life will be all the richer and your efforts in mastering language and literature will be well rewarded and become a lifelong interest.

Why Should You Study Classics?

Conversations with Classicists

Jasmine Elmer

Katharine Radice

Baroness Susan Greenfield

Ellie Lathbridge

Katrina Kelly

Victoria Baines

From Classics to Cricket

Mike Brearley is well known for his career as a professional cricketer, and he captained both Middlesex and England, most famously to victory in the 1981 Ashes series. However, he has had two other careers as well, firstly as a lecturer in Philosophy at Newcastle University in his 20s, and, since retiring from cricket in 1982, as a psychoanalyst; he was President of the British Psychoanalytic Society between 2008 and 2010. He has also written four books in the past six years. James Renshaw interviews him here about his journey into classics and the influence it’s had throughout his career.

Mike, tell us about your journey with Classics�

I studied Latin and Ancient Greek up to A Level at the City of London School in the 1950s, and then won a scholarship to St John’s College, Cambridge to read Classics. Although I enjoyed the languages, they were taught in a rather traditional way then - as if they were crossword puzzles to be solved, with an emphasis on parsing, conjugations and declensions. Latin and Greek were put on a pedestal at that time, suitable, it was still supposed, along with cricket, to be the ideal preparation for running an empire or for entering the high echelons of the Civil Service.

Despite this, I was able to engage with broader themes of the classical world. Nowadays I see a great value in the fact that doing Classics introduced me to debates about democracy, slavery, empire, and tyranny, and to discussion of some of these themes in drama too.

It was also through studying Latin and Greek that my interest in language as metaphor began, and this helped me open up my (limited) capacity for thinking imaginatively. For example, one word derivation I particularly enjoy is ‘supercilious’ - which comes from the Latin supercilium, meaning ‘eyebrow’. I love the image of a quizzically lifted or twisted eyebrow indicating disdain or arrogance.

And so in one sense Classics has been for me in the longer run, and perhaps always to some degree, a setting off point for layered thinking and for appreciating and using language in ways that are both vague and productive. We need both ways of thinking: open-ended and precise, wide focus and narrow focus. More fundamentally, the humanities call for the development of empathy and self-awareness, for a broadening of emotional intelligence. And these are qualities which are essential both to a rich life and to the humanities in general, both personally and professionally.

You moved from Classics to Philosophy� Tell us about that�

Yes, I took a course during my first year at Cambridge in the Presocratic philosophers taught by Renford Bambrough, and found it fascinating. This sparked an interest in philosophy, which grew at the same time through conversations with a university cricket team colleague, Edward Craig, who was studying philosophy. We used to spend ages talking philosophy while fielding as wicket keeper and first slip. I chose to move to philosophy for the second part of my degree, and this then became my first career path.

How has your study of classics influenced you as a psychoanalyst?

Let me answer that with one episode from classical literature which has especially stayed with me.

I read for Greek A Level Book 9 of Homer’s Iliad. Achilles, the greatest Greek warrior, is refusing to fight because of the insults he feels have been delivered to him by Agamemnon, the Greek commander in chief. Agamemnon eventually sees the error of his ways, and sends a delegation to deliver a fulsome apology and a fabulous set of gifts as reparation, yet Achilles stubbornly refuses to accept the apology. At this point, one member of the delegation, the wise old man Phoenix, makes a thoughtful argument. Rage, anger, and stubbornness, he says, are follies or sins. Given Agamemon’s ample apology, the gracious thing would be to accept, and to return to help his comrades on the battlefield. For, Phoenix continues, ‘Sin goes racing around the world doing harm, while Prayer, represented by the daughters of Zeus, old, lame, and half-blind, follows them at a distance, trying to catch up and put things right.’

I remember my Classics teacher, Stanley Ward, inviting us to reflect on the moral development expressed in Phoenix’ argument, and me being fascinated by this. For people often do commit wrongs by rushing into action without thinking: our first instinct in response to humiliation is to retaliate or run away. Only later, Ward suggested, do we have second thoughts and stirrings of conscience about our over-the-top reactions, and climb down from our high horses. Like the daughters of Zeus, we find it hard to see what we’ve been doing, we’re slow to give a hearing to these more reasonbased responses.

With my experience as a psychoanalyst today, I am intrigued that this story seems to anticipate a celebrated theory of the 20th century psychoanalyst Melanie Klein, whose work focused in particular on early child development. Klein argued that healthy psychological development required the young child to move from the ‘paranoid-schizoid position’, in which difficulties are entirely someone else’s fault, to the ‘depressive position’, where guilt and responsibility may be felt and reparation made. Indeed, I could even wonder, with tongue in cheek, if Homer had read Klein before composing this speech of Phoenix!

Who would you most like to meet from the classical world?

I would have to go for Heraclitus, a Presocratic philosopher who seems to have been interested in developing a psychological account of human nature.

JAMES RENSHAW teaches Classics at Godolphin and Latymer School, UK. His books include In Search of the Greeks (2nd edn, Bloomsbury, 2015) and In Search of the Romans (2nd edn, Bloomsbury, 2019) and he is General Editor of the suite of books for OCR Classical Civilisation and Ancient History (Bloomsbury, 2017).

From Classics to PR

An Interview with Erika Tsang

Hi there – I'm Erika, and I’m 22 years old. I grew up in Leicester but have been a Londoner since I moved for university four years ago. After graduating with a BA in Classical Studies from King’s College London, I now work in public relations in the tech sector. For the past year, I’ve been volunteering for Classics For All as part of its student led branch The Chorus. A fun fact about me – I was named after a Pokémon gym leader!

When did your love of Classics start?

My introduction to classics happened when I chose A Level Classical Civilisation as an extracurricular after-school activity. Not many state schools in the UK can afford to or have the resources to provide Classics as a subject. Luckily, my state school was able to access funding and teacher training from the charity Classics For All, opening up an opportunity for me to study the ancient world. I quickly fell in love with the subject, and then went on to read Classical Studies at university, graduating in 2022.

What is it about Classics that you love so much?

Classics as a discipline is exciting to me because of the variety of topics that you can learn about. During my studies, I had the opportunity to form a vivid understanding of the ancient world, by studying its history, philosophy, literature, archaeology and more. Classical antiquity is a time period that is super interesting as well because it formed the basis of much of our modern-day culture.

I have always gravitated towards ancient literature, and I especially love the classical epics – namely Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, as well as Virgil’s Aeneid. These fully fleshed stories feature moral conundrums and nuanced characters who you quickly become attached to. Studying classical epics taught me about the human condition. The ways that we act, and feel are still the same, thousands of years later. Classics may be the study of the ancient world, but it teaches us so much about humans today.

How has it helped shape your career opportunities?

After graduating from university, I began a job in public relations (PR), specialising in technology. My role revolves around helping tech companies raise brand awareness and present themselves as experts in their fields. It’s a completely different gig to Classics, but I really enjoy it, and the skills I learnt from my studies were crucial to helping me land my job.

Studying Classics taught me how to write in an engaging way and how to formulate a convincing argument. When you study Classics, it varies from day to day, from analysing Greek tragic poetry to inspecting a mosaic. This taught me how to adapt to newness quickly – something that is critical when working in an environment as fast-paced as PR!

What would you say to students thinking about choosing Classics?

I would say, if you enjoy the subject, go for it! I found studying Classics enriching and it taught me an array of skills for the workplace. During my studies I sometimes had people ask me what I could do with a Classics degree, as they were under the impression that there was a narrow path ahead career-wise.

While I do know people that have pursued more obvious choices after a Classics degree such as further study of Classics, museum work or teaching, there are also a plethora of other options for Classics graduates. I know graduates in many different sectors, from business to finance to publishing. Don’t feel like your job prospects are limited if you study Classics, as the skills you learn are widely transferable. What’s most important is that you study a subject that you love!

Can you tell us more about The Chorus?

The Chorus is the newest branch of the charity Classics For All. We’re a growing network of young classicists across the UK who are committed to improving access to classical subjects. We want to connect young classicists across the country, from sixth-form students to university graduates. Our goal is to get more students to engage with and learn about classics, particularly those from underprivileged backgrounds.

We hold termly virtual events, called The Forum, and also have a student blog called The Rostra Previously, we’ve held events with authors Clare Pollard and Jennifer Saint respectively, as well as an event with the society London Classicists of Colour.

My role is Chair of The Chorus, so I organise our meetings, manage the committee and make sure everything runs smoothly. It’s my second year on the committee and it’s been so fulfilling to be able to reach so many students and provide these opportunities in Classics.

classicsforall.org.uk/get-involved/chorus

classicsforall.org.uk/rostra

From Classics to Illustration

CORA BETH FRASER is an illustrator, award-winning teacher and Honorary Associate at The Open University. She teaches Classics to distance learners, supports autistic students, and can usually be found in a quiet corner with a sketchbook. In 2021 she co-founded Asterion, an organisation set up to champion neurodiversity in Classics; and in 2022 she was awarded the Classical Association Prize for outreach. She blogs at https://classicalstudies.support/.

My Classics “journey” started in a little North-East mining town that just happened to have its own Roman Fort.

Growing up, the Romans were quite literally on my doorstep, and the Fort was my gateway to a lifelong interest. I never expected that Classics would bring me the life I have now – teaching, researching and illustrating the ancient world – or that through Classics I would find a place where I could belong as my authentic disabled working-class self.

However, if you’d asked me where I wanted Classics to take me when I was young, I would have answered firmly, ‘Nowhere!’. I did not want to go on a journey, literally or figuratively. I was the kid who dodged school trips and avoided adventure of any kind, because even going to school every day was too much for me. I knew exactly what I needed: a safe and quiet little world of reading and learning, with cats in armchairs and old leather-bound books and fluffy blankets on cold mornings. I didn’t want Classics to take me anywhere; I wanted to take Classics home with me and shut the door.

It wasn’t until many years later that I was given a word that defined my needs: autism. I was, and had always been, autistic. I needed safety, routine and control in the same way that other people needed love and friendship. The world was a terrifying place for me, and I was drawn to its quiet book-lined corners.

Classics gave me all the quiet I needed, and more.

My PhD involved hardly any interaction with living people – although I did spend a lot of time in the company of Tacitus! Later I took a job teaching distance learners, by post and phone and then online, working from home with my slippers on. My home library gradually took over one room, then another, then started to creep up the stairs. There were cats too, stretched out in patches of sunlight, making squeaky snoring noises while I wrote. Lately I’ve been making even more of my dreams come true, by finally creating some of the illustrated Classics books that I always wanted to make.

Classics hasn’t taken me anywhere, because I didn’t want to go anywhere: I wanted to stay right where I was, and I still do. But if I could, I’d love to be able to take Classics into my autistic world, just for a visit.

Within the autistic community we talk a lot about joy. “Autistic joy” is a difficult thing to define, but it’s as much a part of us as social awkwardness or sensory sensitivity. It’s the joy of being completely absorbed in a moment or a feeling or an idea, so fully and perfectly that everything else falls away.

Classicists are always questioning and challenging. It’s in our nature.

We challenge the sources, the scholarship, the boundaries of our discipline, the value of our studies, the purpose of our teaching. This, I think, is a great thing: it fuels change, drives new perspectives, and guards against complacency. But it can also be contentious and exhausting, and the joy of studying things we love can get lost.

That’s why I illustrate classical texts. When everything we say is up for debate and when every idea is subject to challenge, beautiful things remain a joy to me, like a fluffy blanket on a cold morning. Illustration is my way of inviting you to pull up a chair, curl up with a book and share my cosy autistic corner for a while, before you head off on your next Classics adventure.

Illustrations designed by Cora Beth Fraser

A Love for Classics Student Competition

Students share their love for Classics

We asked current students of Classics from KS3 to A Level to share (in their most creative way) what it is they love the most about their subject.

Here are our chosen winners and highly commended runners-up:

Key Stage 3 (11-14)

WATCH VIDEO

Read poem

Winner - Ianthe Wilding, King’s Ely School

Name of entry: Tantalus

What the judges said:

“Magnificent - I especially loved the dance routines - but this was a serious labour of love”

Highly Commended

- Harpriya Baghla, North London Collegiate School

Name of entry: Verba Vitae Ex ‘Lingua Mortua’ Poem

What the judges said:

“Brilliantly written, clever exposition of the ancient languages, and an authentic reproduction of Sherlock Holmes”

Link to entry

Link to entry

Link to SONG

GCSE (14-16)

Winner

- Elika Dutta, Channing School

MY LOVE FOR CLASSICS poem

What the judges said:

“Clever, and respects not only what classics is in the classroom, but also what it really means to someone learning about people long ago and how they still affect us today.”

Highly Commended

- Charlotte Hammond, Worksop College

Drawing of Roman Helmet

What the judges said:

“I’ve selected this entry for its incredible artistic skill, the knowledge demonstrated by the level of detail in the drawing and the clear enthusiasm for Classics.

AS and A Level (16-19) Winner

– Atlas Rowe, Truro and Penwith College

Will I be Enough For You? song

What the judges said:

“A brilliant song, performed beautifully. Andromache’s perspective really shines through; the writing shows a deep understanding of the character’s thoughts and feelings and imbues the performance with such gripping emotion.”

Highly Commended

- Yasmin Holland, King’s School Rochester

The meeting of Greek Women and Goddesses Play Scene

What the judges said:

“What a fantastic entry! This play was an absolute delight to read, not just for the amazing amount of knowledge the author shows, but for the clever and engaging dialogue. It’s really captured the spirit of Greek comedy; there are so many witty lines and references. Absolutely brilliant!”

Link to play scene

How Can You Get Involved?

SUPPORT AND RESOURCES FROM OUR PARTNERS

THE CLASSICAL ASSOCIATION

Who are we for?

Everyone! We’re an educational charity with a wide membership, from amateur archaeologists and trainee teachers, to students and scholars alike, and we have lots of resources, events and opportunities for anyone with an interest in the ancient world.

What do we do?

• We provide grants for schools’ events, outreach initiatives, summer schools & more

• Through our network of local branches, we promote Classics in local areas

• We co-organise the UK’s largest annual Classics conference, feat. the latest research and pedagogy, keynote lectures, performances, prizegivings, receptions and more

• Our Teaching Board supports current and new teachers of all classical subjects

How can I get involved?

• Enjoy interviews, classics content and much more on The Classics Podcast

• If you’re a teacher, contribute to our Qualifications Review

• Read our academic and pedagogy journals and Omnibus for all ages

• Sign up to our free e-news and education bulletin

• Come along to our in person events and lectures or access CPD

• Enter our Competitions, ask our Expert in Residence a question and get involved!

How Can You Get Involved?

SUPPORT AND RESOURCES FROM OUR PARTNERS

What they do:

Classics for All supports state schools across the UK, many in areas of socio-economic disadvantage, to introduce or develop the teaching of classical subjects sustainably on the curriculum or as an after school activity.

• Advise schools on the teaching of Latin, Greek, ancient history and classical civilisation on or off the school timetable.

• Offer free training Continuing Professional Development for teachers in schools wishing to introduce classics or to extend existing classics provision.

• Offer teachers continued mentoring to ensure that classics teaching is sustained.

• Develop stimulating and engaging resources to support the teaching of classics.

• Advocate for classics with state schools, policymakers and donors.

• Research and evaluation into the impact of classics on pupils’ aspiration and attainment.

Find out more at https://classicsforall.org.uk/

WORKING CLASSICISTS

What is a "Working Classicist"?

To be a Working Classicist is a way for a whole group of people - amateurs, academics and professionals - to identify themselves with pride, and to make connections with others from a similar background.

It is a way of overcoming the imposter syndrome which so many Classicists from the 93% feel.

It is for those who consider themselves socialists, who feel the world can be fairer, and who want to see changes in attitudes which have been entrenched over centuries around class-worth, academic opportunity, gender and sexual-orientation prejudice, racism and arbitrary exclusion created by our society and its institutions.

Find out more at www.workingclassicists.com