About
Professor John Barrell is a distinguished academic at the University of York's Centre for Eighteenth Century Studies, holding the rank of Professor with Fellowships in the British Academy and English Association. His career spans five decades of interdisciplinary scholarship bridging literature, history, and art.
Education:
- MA, University of Cambridge
- PhD, University of Essex
His research interrogates the ideological frameworks of eighteenth and early nineteenth-century British culture, with signature contributions to landscape theory, political representation, and empire studies. Key methodologies include visual analysis of painting, discourse analysis of political pamphlets, and literary criticism of Romantic poetry, consistently revealing how power structures shape cultural production.
Publication analysis shows sustained engagement with interdisciplinary connections: art historical works examine rural poverty's representation while political histories explore treason laws' impact on privacy; literary studies decode imperialism in De Quincey or Wordsworth's sublime. This triangulation of visual, textual, and political evidence defines his scholarly signature.
Awards:
- Fellow of the British Academy
- Fellow of the English Association
- Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters, University of Chicago
- Honorary Doctor of Letters, Courtauld Institute
Professor Barrell's supervision legacy includes over twenty doctoral dissertations spanning Romantic poetry, political economy, and slavery representations. His mentorship fostered innovative approaches like 'The Technology of English Watercolour Painting' and 'Plebeian Prospects, 1750-1830', demonstrating commitment to emerging scholarly frontiers.
As a core member of York's Centre for Eighteenth Century Studies, he contributes to its international conferences and postgraduate forums, sustaining vibrant interdisciplinary dialogue on eighteenth-century studies.
