I studied Old and Middle English. Although I didn’t know it, I couldn’t have chosen a better subject to train me to become a children’s author
Hwaet! When I was a Yale undergraduate, I hated being asked what my major was. “Medieval studies? What will you do with that?”, was the inevitable question from non-students. When I went on to Oxford and studied Old and Middle English, the questioning continued. I usually answered, “I am opening a medieval shop,” to shut down further discussion.
Anyone who studies the humanities, or “soft” degrees, will have faced the same judgmental, bewildered queries. The implication is that these subjects have no value. Indeed, we’ve become so narrow and utilitarian that unless a degree leads specifically to a specialised career, it’s considered by many to be a waste of time, money and resources. Kemi Badenoch has pledged to end “rip-off” degrees such as English, anthropology and psychology because, in her view, they provide weak job prospects. (Let’s ignore for the moment the £125bn that the creative industries are worth annually to the UK, or the 2.4 million people employed.)
Years ago, my son’s secondary school counsellor told me that the biggest issue he faced was parents trying to force students to study Stem subjects and not humanities at A-level, in the belief this would inexorably lead to a better job. And yet no one knows what knowledge will be “useful” to them in their career. My own “rip-off” degree in Old and Middle English led to my writing 100 Horrid Henry stories, millions of books sold worldwide and countless kids becoming readers. (And I wrote them while on one of those “indefinite leave to remain” visas that Reform UK has vowed to revoke.) Though I didn’t know it, I couldn’t have chosen a better subject to train me to become a children’s author.
