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poster

(Encyclopedia)poster, placard designed to be posted in some public place for purposes of commercial announcement or propaganda. Advertising makes wide use of posters, as do charitable and political organizations. I...

Radiguet, Raymond

(Encyclopedia)Radiguet, Raymond rāmôNˈ rädēgāˈ [key], 1903–23, French writer. In his brief career he wrote two penetrating novels—The Devil in the Flesh (1923, tr. 1932), a study of adolescence; and Le B...

Orléans, French royal family

(Encyclopedia)Orléans ôrlāäNˈ [key], family name of two branches of the French royal line. The house of Valois-Orléans was founded by Louis, duc d'Orléans (see separate article), whose assassination (1407) c...

Watteau, Jean-Antoine

(Encyclopedia)Watteau, Jean-Antoine wätōˈ, Fr. zhäNˈ-äNtwäNˈ vätōˈ [key], 1684–1721, French painter of Flemish descent, b. Valenciennes. Until 1704 poverty forced him to work in the shops of mediocre a...

Gramont, Agénor, prince de Bidache, duc de Guiche et de

(Encyclopedia)Gramont, Agénor, prince de Bidache, duc de Guiche et de äzhānôrˈ prăNsˈ də bēdäshˈ dük də gēsh ā də grämôNˈ [key], 1819–80, French diplomat. He served as plenipotentiary at Stuttg...

Jura, department, France

(Encyclopedia)Jura zhüräˈ [key], department (1990 pop. 249,600), E France, in Franche-Comté, bordering on Switzerland. Lons-le-Saunier is the capital. The area is a major producer of Gruyère cheese and a cente...

Vesoul

(Encyclopedia)Vesoul vəzo͞olˈ [key], town (1990 est. pop. 19,404), capital of Haute-Saône dept., E France, in Franche-Comté. Agricultural and mechanical equipment and metal products are the chief manufactures....

naturalism, in philosophy

(Encyclopedia)naturalism, in philosophy, a position that attempts to explain all phenomena and account for all values by means of strictly natural (as opposed to supernatural) categories. The particular meaning of ...

Saint-Claude

(Encyclopedia)Saint-Claude săN-klōd [key], town (1990 est. pop. 13,265), Jura dept., E France, in Franche-Comté, at the confluence of the Bienne and Tacon rivers. It is a resort that has a variety of light manuf...

French literature

(Encyclopedia)French literature, writings in medieval French dialects and standard modern French. Writings in Provençal and Breton are considered separately, as are works in French produced abroad (as at Canadian ...