Dr David McCallam

BA, MA, PhD

School of Languages and Cultures

Reader in French Eighteenth-Century Studies

Dr David McCallam
Profile picture of Dr David McCallam
d.mccallam@sheffield.ac.uk
+44 114 222 2860
Room 3.43, Jessop West

Full contact details

Dr David McCallam
School of Languages and Cultures
Room 3.43
Jessop West
1 Upper Hanover Street
葫芦影业
S3 7RA
Profile

I specialise in the long eighteenth century in France, covering the French Enlightenment and the French Revolution. I have worked a lot on late eighteenth-century French literature (Chamfort, Laclos, Sade, de Maistre, etc.). 

More recently, my research has focused on the environment in eighteenth-century France and Europe, specifically on dynamic geological and meteorological phenomena, such as volcanoes, avalanches and clouds. In 2019 I published a wide-ranging study on the cultural significance of . In 2022 I was awarded a Fellowship at the Camargo Foundation (Cassis, France) to undertake research into forms of socio-ecological resilience during the Marseille plague of 1720-1722.

Another recent research interest is in the poetry of the late eighteenth century and its translation. My study,  鈥 a bilingual edition of the last poems with new translations 鈥 was published by Legenda in 2021.

I also have an active interest in French theatre, running an extra-curricular Moli猫re reading group and directing the annual French play as part of the University of 葫芦影业鈥檚 Modern Languages Drama Festival. 

In 2022 I was made a Chevalier dans l鈥橭rdre des Palmes Acad茅miques by the French state for 鈥榮ervices rendus 脿 la culture fran莽aise鈥. In 2024 I was elected .

Qualifications
  • MPhil, PhD (Cambridge)
  • MA (Warwick)
  • BA (London Metropolitan)
Research interests
  • Eighteenth-century French literature
  • Environmental humanities, particularly involving mountainous areas, in eighteenth-century Europe
  • The French Revolution
  • Translation studies, especially poetry

Current Research Projects:

  • Illyria in the French Imagination: from Enlightenment to Romanticism

I would be very interested in supervising postgraduate research in the following areas:

  • Gendered and embodied responses to the French Revolution
  • Environmental humanities, especially in eighteenth-century Europe
  • Eighteenth-century travel literature, especially in the mountains and in the Adriatic
  • Late eighteenth-century French literature 鈥 Laclos, Sade, de Gouges, Ch茅nier, etc.
  • Translation studies, especially poetry
Research group

Isabel Richardson (part-time 2018-): Comparative translation study of French-English translations of Twelfth-Century French texts (c.1915-2015)

Rebecca Herd (part-time 2016-2024): 鈥楪ender and Violence in Works by Seventeenth-Century French Women Playwrights鈥. Successful completion.

Harsh Trivedi (2017-2022): 鈥楲es chefs-d鈥櫯搖vre inconnus: une 茅tude des 艙uvres fictives dans La Com茅die humaine鈥. Successful completion.

Kirsty Hemsworth (2013-2017): 鈥楾ranslation and/as Empathy: Mapping Translation Shifts in 9/11 Fiction鈥. Successful completion.

Morgane Guinard (2013-2016): 鈥楲a Parabole du Savoir Interdit, ou les interdits philosophiques et religieux sur la connaissance en France au XVIIIe si猫cle鈥. Successful completion.

Carla Almanza-Galvez (2012-2016): 鈥楿topian Narrative in Eighteenth-Century Spain: Generic Frameworks and Social Reformism鈥. Successful completion. Winner of the Association of Hispanists of Great Britain and Ireland Postgraduate Publication Prize 2017.

Anna Jenkin (2012-2015): 'Perceptions of the Murderess in London and Paris, 1674-1789'. Successful completion.

I have also supervised numerous MA Dissertations on various topics including science/superstition in Maupassant (Liz Trueman, Winner Maria A Salgado Essay Prize 2017), women鈥檚 practices of imitation in the French Revolution, the figure of Robespierre in post-revolutionary memoirs, Gothic intermediality, historical and contemporary translation studies.

Teaching activities

Postgraduate:

  • MDL6048 Advanced Translation from French
  • MDL622 Research Methods in Modern Languages

Undergraduate:

  • MDL115 Intersections: Text, Image, Thought in the French-Speaking World
  • MDL107 Understanding Modern France
  • FRE21001 Writing the French Revolution
  • MDL319 Litt茅rature et environnement en France aux 18e-19e si猫cles
Professional activities and memberships
  • Member of the Executive Board of the Society for Early Modern French Studies (2021-)
  • Member of the Editorial Board of Eighteenth-Century Fiction (2016-2020)
  • Member of the Executive Board of the Society for French Studies (2014-2020)
  • Member of the Voltaire Foundation Board of Management, University of Oxford (2013-2016)
  • Member of the Editorial Board, Journal Arr锚t sur sc猫ne/Scene Focus, Universit茅 de Montpellier-III (2012-)
  • Member of the Editorial Board of French Studies (2009-18)
  • Member of the British Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies
  • Member of the European Society for Environmental History
  • External Examiner for PhD Thesis: Queen鈥檚 University Belfast; University of Edinburgh/Paris III Sorbonne-Nouvelle; Murdoch University, Australia; King's College London (x 2); Universit茅 de Lorraine
  • External Examiner for French, University of Edinburgh (2008-2011), University of Cambridge (2011-2014), King's College London (2014-18); University of St-Andrews (2021-)
  • Referee for the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC)
  • Reviewer for the Institute for Advanced Studies, University of Luxembourg
Publications

Authored Books and Co-Edited Volumes

Andr茅 Ch茅nier: Poetry and Revolution 1792-1794. A Bilingual Edition of the Last Poems with New Translations. Oxford: Legenda, 2021.

Volcanoes in Eighteenth-Century Europe: An Essay in Environmental Humanities. Oxford University Studies in the Enlightenment. Liverpool: Liverpool University Press, 2019.

鈥樷, special online issue, Journal for Eighteenth-Century Studies, 2012.

L鈥橝rt de l鈥櫭﹒uivoque chez Laclos. Geneva: Droz, 2008.

Histoires de la Terre: Earth Sciences and French Culture 1740-1940, ed. Louise Lyle & David McCallam. Amsterdam: Rodopi, 2008.

The Enterprise of Enlightenment, ed. Terry Pratt & David McCallam. Bern: Lang, 2004.

Chamfort and the French Revolution: A study in form and ideology. SVEC. Oxford: Voltaire Foundation, 2002.

Journal Articles and Book Chapters

鈥楲a mise en fiction de la peste de Marseille dans deux textes du XVIIIe si猫cle鈥, Romanistische Zeitschrift f眉r Literaturgeschichte, 48:1-2 (2024), 35-48

鈥樷淭out fr茅mit au seul nom de cette maladie鈥: On Strategies for (Not) Naming the Plague, Marseille 1720鈥,&苍产蝉辫;Early Modern French Studies, 2024  DOI: 

鈥楾wo poems by Christophe Tarkos鈥,&苍产蝉辫;Comparative Critical Studies, 21:1 (2024), 119-124.

鈥楲a p茅trification dans l鈥檌maginaire r茅volutionnaire en 1789鈥, in 鈥楢voir une 芒me pour les pierres鈥: Arts, sciences et min茅ralit茅 du tournant des Lumi猫res au cr茅puscule du Romantisme, ed. P. Glaudes & A. Vasak. Rennes: Presses universitaires de Rennes, 2024, pp. 173-187.

鈥楾error and Oranges鈥,&苍产蝉辫;History Today, 73:4 (April 2023), 64-69.

鈥榁ers une histoire de la r茅silience: les r茅ponses socio-茅cologiques en France 脿 l鈥櫭﹔uption volcanique du Laki en 1783鈥,&苍产蝉辫;Dix-huiti猫me Si猫cle, 54 (2022), no. sp茅cial 鈥楥limat et environnement鈥, 101-114.

鈥業llyria Remembered: On Some French Memoirs of the Illyrian Provinces 1809-1813鈥,&苍产蝉辫;Historical Reflections/R茅flexions Historiques, 48:1 (2022), 23-45.

鈥楾he Obverse View: Another Look at Jean-L茅on G茅r么me鈥檚 Le 7 d茅cembre 1815, neuf heures du matin [The Execution of Marshal Ney] 1868鈥,&苍产蝉辫;Dix-neuf: Journal of the Society of Dix-Neuvi茅mistes, 24:1 (2020), 82-98.

鈥楾he Enlightenmen Redux: Autonomy in Todorov, Glucksmann, and Onfray鈥, in Tzvetan Todorov: Thinker and Humanist, ed. H. de Berg & K. Zbinden. Rochester NY: Boydell & Brewer, 2020, pp. 55-73.

鈥楾he University Now: A Provocation in Five Readings鈥,&苍产蝉辫;Other Education: The Journal of Educational Alternatives, 9:2 (2020), 62-74.

鈥楲a marquise de Merteuil po猫te?鈥,&苍产蝉辫;Revue d鈥檋istoire litt茅raire de la France, 1 (2019), 95-102.

鈥楾he Continent of History: Montesquieu, Voltaire, Condorcet鈥, in The Cambridge History of French Thought, ed. M. Moriarty & J. Jennings. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2019, pp. 249-255.

鈥楢 M. le chevalier Hamilton, ambassadeur 脿 Naples鈥, in Commentaire historique (艗uvres compl猫tes de Voltaire, 78C). Oxford: Voltaire Foundation, 2018, pp. 295-300.

鈥極rph茅e ou la po茅sie incarn茅e chez Andr茅 Ch茅nier鈥,&苍产蝉辫;Op. Cit.: Revue des litt茅ratures et des arts, 17 (2017): 

鈥楴uages et nuances r茅volutionnaires: la F锚te de la F茅d茅ration, le 14 juillet 1790鈥, in Les Nuages : du tournant des Lumi猫res au cr茅puscule du Romantisme, 1760-1880, ed. A. Vasak & P. Glaudes. Paris: Hermann, 2017, pp. 67-81.

鈥楩rom Analogies to Patterns: Images in French and British Geological Texts of the Late Eighteenth Century鈥, in Visualizing the Text from Manuscript Culture to the Age of Caricature, ed. C. Ionescu & L. Beck. Newark, DE: University of Delaware Press, 2017, pp. 203-227.

鈥楳ovement and Montage in Andr茅 Ch茅nier鈥檚 鈥淥de 脿 Versailles鈥 (1793)鈥,&苍产蝉辫;Crossways Journal, 1:1 (2017): 

鈥Dangerous Connections, 1784: et si traduire c鈥櫭﹖ait s茅duire鈥, in Laclos apr猫s Laclos, ed. C. Seth. Paris: Hermann, 2016, pp. 11-20.

鈥楢ndr茅 Ch茅nier鈥檚 鈥楧erni猫res po茅sies鈥: Animism and the Terror鈥,&苍产蝉辫;Forum for Modern Language Studies, 51:3 (2015), 304-315.

鈥楳etrology: The Body as Measure in Les Liaisons dangereuses鈥,&苍产蝉辫;Eighteenth-Century Fiction, 27:1 (2014), 83-104.

[with Eleanor Hodgson] 鈥楲a Reconnaissance agonistique: L鈥櫭巐e des esclaves et La Fausse Suivante de Marivaux鈥, Arr锚t sur Sc猫ne/Scene Focus, 2 (2013), 155-164.

鈥楿n m茅t茅ore in茅dit: les brouillards secs de 1783鈥, in Ordre et d茅sordre du monde: Enqu锚te sur les m茅t茅ores, de la Renaissance 脿 l鈥櫭e moderne, ed. T. Belleguic & A. Vasak. Paris: Hermann, 2013, pp. 369-388.

鈥榅avier de Maistre and Angelology鈥, in (Re-)Writing the Radical: Enlightenment, Revolution and Cultural Transfer in 1790s Germany, Britain and France, ed. M. Oergel. Berlin: De Gruyter, 2012, pp. 239-250.

鈥楲'avalanche au tournant des Lumi猫res鈥, in Le Tournant des Lumi猫res, ed. K. Astbury & C. Seth. Paris: Classiques Garnier, 2012, pp. 17-32.

鈥楾he Terrorist Earth? Some Thoughts on Sade and Baudrillard鈥,&苍产蝉辫;French Cultural Studies, 23:3 (2012), 215-224.

鈥楩ace 脿 la mort blanche: conceptions du froid extr锚me dans les avalanches et dans les neiges au XVIIIe si猫cle鈥, in Canicules et froids extr锚mes. L鈥櫭﹙猫nement climatique et ses representations, ed. J. Berchtold et al. Paris: Editions Hermann, 2012, pp. 97-108.

鈥(Ac)claiming Illyria: Eighteenth-Century Istria and Dalmatia in Fortis, Cassas and Lavall茅e鈥,&苍产蝉辫;Central Europe, 9:2 (2011), 125-141.

鈥楺uelques r茅flexions sur la figure de la cha卯ne au XVIIIe si猫cle: en th茅orie et en pratique鈥, in De la th茅orie 脿 l鈥檃ction. Les savoirs et leur mise en 艙uvre au si猫cle des Lumi猫res, ed. V. Kobi. Geneva: Slaktine, 2011, pp. 123-134.

鈥楢 Manifesto for the Arts and Humanities: The Example of Candide鈥&苍产蝉辫;Atelier de th茅orie litt茅raire, Fabula (2011)

鈥楥redit and Credulity in Montesquieu鈥檚 Lettres persanes鈥,&苍产蝉辫;Lumen, 28 (2010), 107-116.

鈥楶ique-niquer sur le volcan: une pratique culturelle de Winckelmann 脿 Sade鈥,&苍产蝉辫;French Studies, 63:3 (2009), 259-270.

鈥楥oncevoir l鈥橢urope au XVIIIe si猫cle selon sa g茅ologie: le cas des volcans鈥, in L鈥橧d茅e d鈥橢urope au XVIIIe si猫cle, ed. L. Piccardo. Paris: Champion, 2009, pp. 232-242.

[with Ian Rotherham] 鈥楶eat Bogs, Marshes and Fen as Disputed Landscapes in Late Eighteenth-Century France and England鈥, in Histoires de la Terre: Earth Sciences and French Culture 1740-1940, ed. L. Lyle & D. McCallam. Amsterdam: Rodopi, 2008, pp. 75-88.

鈥楶hysiocrats and barbarians: moral economies in Chamfort鈥檚 comedies鈥, in Voltaire and the 1760s. Essays for John Renwick, ed. N. Cronk. Oxford: Voltaire Foundation, 2008, pp. 65-75.

鈥樷淟a machine鈥: Sade, the Guillotine and Eroticism鈥, in Marquis de Sade and the Scientia and Techne of Eroticism, ed. F. Burwick & K. Tucker. Newcastle: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2007, pp. 54-71.

鈥楥hamfort entre m茅moires, r茅cits de voyage et litt茅rature moraliste鈥,&苍产蝉辫;Cahiers de l鈥橝ssociation Internationale des 脡tudes Fran莽aises, 59 (2007), 207-220.

鈥楲es modalit茅s du d茅sir dans Les Liaisons dangereuses鈥,&苍产蝉辫;Dix-Huiti猫me Si猫cle, 38 (2006), 589-609.

鈥楢necdote et Lumi猫res: le cas de Chamfort鈥, in Qu鈥檈st-ce que les Lumi猫res? ed. K. Tunstall & G. Pigeard de Gurbert. Oxford: Voltaire Foundation, 2006, pp. 185-195.

鈥楨xploring Volcanoes in the Late French Enlightenment: the Savant and the Sublime鈥,&苍产蝉辫;British Journal for Eighteenth-Century Studies, 29:1 (2006), 47-59.

鈥楾he Volcano: From Enlightenment to Revolution鈥,&苍产蝉辫;Nottingham French Studies, special edition, 鈥楻evolutionary Culture: Continuity and Change鈥, ed. M. Darlow. 45:1 (2006), 52-68.

鈥楥hamfort et l鈥檕ptique moraliste鈥, in L鈥橭ptique des moralistes de Montaigne 脿 Chamfort, ed. B. Roukhomovsky. Paris: Champion, 2005, pp. 347-358.

鈥楧茅molir pour 茅difier: morale et architecture chez Chamfort鈥,&苍产蝉辫;SVEC, 7 (2005), 327-338

鈥樷淢onstre 脿 figure humaine鈥: Portraits des r茅volutionnaires dans Le Nouveau Paris de Louis-S茅bastien Mercier鈥, in Le m芒le en France 1715-1830: Repr茅sentations de la masculinit茅, ed. K. Astbury & M.-E. Plagnol-Di茅val. Bern: Peter Lang, 2004, pp. 219-231.

鈥楾hird Person Singular: The Liberation of the Marquise de Sade 1789-1790鈥, in The Age of Letter Writing. Gender and Politics 1750-2000, ed. C. Bland & M. Cross. Aldershot: Ashgate, 2004, pp. 45-55.

鈥楽tendhal, Siey猫s and the Literary Aristocracy鈥,&苍产蝉辫;French Studies Bulletin, 91 (2004), 10-12.

鈥楾he Nature of Libertine Promises in Laclos鈥檚 Les Liaisons dangereuses鈥, Modern Language Review, 98:4 (2003), 857-869.

鈥楨ncountering and Countering the 鈥淯ncanny鈥 in Descartes鈥檚 惭茅诲颈迟补迟颈辞苍蝉鈥,&苍产蝉辫;French Studies, 57:2 (2003), 135-147; Reprinted in Literature Criticism from 1400 to 1800, vol. 150, ed. by Tom Schoenberg (Detroit; London: Gale, 2008).

鈥楿ne forme frondeuse: the function of discontinuity in La Rochefoucauld鈥檚 Maximes鈥,&苍产蝉辫;Seventeenth-Century French Studies, 24 (2002), 239-248.

鈥榃axing Revolutionary: Reflections on a Raid on a Waxworks at the Outbreak of the French Revolution鈥,&苍产蝉辫;French History, 16:2 (2002), 153-173.

鈥楥hamfort, Doctor of Morals: The Maxim and the Medical Aphorism in Late Eighteenth-Century France鈥,&苍产蝉辫;British Journal for Eighteenth-Century Studies, 25:1 (2002), 103-111.

鈥楤reaking the Code: Passion and Narrative in Stendhal鈥檚 鈥淟a duchesse de Palliano鈥濃,&苍产蝉辫;Arachnofiles: A Journal of European Languages and Cultures, 2 (2001): https://www.ed.ac.uk/literatures-languages-cultures/delc/arachnofiles/index-issues

鈥楥ast in a new light: clich茅s in Proust鈥檚 鈥淐ombray鈥濃,&苍产蝉辫;French Studies Bulletin, 78 (2001), 15-17.

鈥楩rom Authority to Authorship: Chamfort鈥檚 maxims and the transferral of power in late eighteenth-century France鈥,&苍产蝉辫;Trivium, 32 (2000), 45-58.

鈥楲es 鈥減etites phrases鈥 dans la politique anglo-saxonne鈥,&苍产蝉辫;Communication et langages, 126 (2000), 52-59.

鈥楾he Significance of Scars in some Writings of La Rochefoucauld鈥, in Corporeal Practices: (Re)figuring the body in French Studies, ed. J. Prest & H. Thompson. Bern: Peter Lang, 2000, pp. 33-43.

鈥楻e-writing the Revolution as popular spectacle in Chamfort鈥檚 Tableaux historiques de la R茅volution fran莽aise鈥, in Dialogues 3: Re-writing the Political, ed. D. Hall & B. McCann. Exeter: Elm Bank Publications, 2000, pp. 19-27.