Ben Shears is an editor of and contributor to Xanthos. He is a postgraduate researcher in Modern Languages (French) and English Literature at the University of Exeter. Ben’s research explores the notion of subjectivity in the works of Voltaire and Samuel Richardson, and he frames his thesis around John Locke’s epistemological schemas. Before coming to Exeter, Ben received his undergraduate degree in English and French from the University of Warwick, followed by his MSt degree in Modern Languages from the University of Oxford, in which he obtained a Distinction. At Exeter, Ben has been the Chair of the Postgraduate Research Conference in the Humanities, 2018, and is a graduate teaching assistant and examiner for various courses.