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Botta, Paul Émile

(Encyclopedia)Botta, Paul Émile pôl āmēlˈ bôtäˈ [key], 1805–70, French archaeologist and government official. While consular agent at Mosul (1843) he made his renowned discoveries of Assyrian inscriptions...

Racine, Jean

(Encyclopedia)Racine, Jean zhäN räsēnˈ [key], 1639–99, French dramatist. Racine is the prime exemplar of French classicism. The nobility of his Alexandrine verse, the simplicity of his diction, the psychologi...

Vidal de la Blache, Paul

(Encyclopedia)Vidal de la Blache, Paul pōl vēdälˈ də lä bläsh [key], French geographer, 1845–1918, the father of French human geography. He was educated at the École Normale Supérieure, Paris, and had an...

Boisbaudran, Paul Émile Lecoq de

(Encyclopedia)Boisbaudran, Paul Émile Lecoq de pôl āmēlˈ ləkôkˈ də bwäbōdräNˈ [key], 1838–1912, French discoverer of the elements gallium, samarium, and dysprosium. He also made contributions in the ...

Fragonard, Jean-Honoré

(Encyclopedia)Fragonard, Jean-Honoré zhäN-ōnôrāˈ frägônärˈ [key], 1732–1806, French painter. He studied with Chardin, Carle Vanloo, and intensively with Boucher, whose style he assimilated. He won the P...

Richter, Johann Paul Friedrich

(Encyclopedia)Richter, Johann Paul Friedrich rĭkhˈtər [key], pseud. Jean Paul, 1763–1825, German novelist. He studied theology at the Univ. of Leipzig and later taught in that city. His novels combine the ide...

Courier, Paul Louis

(Encyclopedia)Courier, Paul Louis (Paul Louis Courier de Méré) pōl lwē ko͞oryāˈ də mārāˈ [key], 1772–1825, French political writer and classical scholar. His translation (1810) of the Greek text of Dap...

Royer-Collard, Pierre Paul

(Encyclopedia)Royer-Collard, Pierre Paul pyĕr pōl rwäyāˈ-kô-lärˈ [key], 1763–1845, French statesman and philosopher. After entering the law, he took part in the French Revolution and became a constitution...

Choiseul, César, comte Du Plessis-Praslin, duc de

(Encyclopedia)Choiseul, César, comte Du Plessis-Praslin, duc de sāzärˈ kôNt dü plĕsē-prälăNˈ dük də shwäzölˈ [key], 1598–1675, marshal of France, diplomat, and soldier. He served as ambassador to ...

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