School of Critical Studies

Founded in 2020, the Centre for Fantasy and the Fantastic convenes the world's first ever MLitt in Fantasy Literature (est. 2015); hosts a vibrant cohort of doctoral students, postdoctoral researchers, and visiting scholars; organises public events; and conducts pathfinding research into all aspects of fantasy culture. The Centre regularly organises conferences and symposia, including the annual GIFCon, Once and Future Fantasies (2022; a collaboration with the International Association for the Fantastic in the Arts), and the inaugural European Conference on the Fantastic, Fantasy's Present Pasts (2026). The Centre's research collaborations include working with Brian Attebery as a Leverhulme Visiting Professor in Fantasy (2019); the AHRC-funded Future Voices of Scottish SF and Fantasy network (2022-23); and the British Library's Fantasy: Realms of Imagination exhibition (2023-24).

_{eader image - Jessie Marion King, The Frog Prince, 1913)}