Genin: a distinguished philologist

1. 16. Rigault: a French admiral and politician. He served in the Crimean and Chinese wars and was minister of marine under Napoleon III. (1807-1873.)

1. 17. Villemain : the head of what is sometimes called the academic school of criticism, which represented the more conservative, classical idea. (1790-1870.)

Page 12. — 1. 23. Théophraste : Theophrastus (374-287 b.c.). A Grecian philosopher who was one of Aristotle's favorite pupils and a defender of his doctrines. His most famous work is the Characteres^ a series of articles on abstract qualities. La Bruyère (1645- 1696) published his Caractères in 1687. Although he has studied Theophrastus carefully, he xloes not copy him very closely, making his articles more specific and particular. They are generally thinly disguised portraits of wellknown people of his day.

Page 13. — 1. 5. Jusaieu: a celebrated botanist (1686-1758). His two younger brothers were also botanists of note, and so were his nephew and his grand-nephew, Adrien Jussieu (i 797-1853),

1. 5. Cuvier: the creator of the science of comparative anatomy. (1797-1832.)

Page 14. — 1. 25 Amélie: Chateaubriand's sister, Lucile, is portrayed in Amélie^ while René represents Chateaubriand himself.

1. 25. René: one of Chateaubriand's books which appeared in 1805. René is the French type of Goethe's sentimental and melancholy Werther.

1.31. H. de Lamartine: a French poet and politician. His most famous book is called Meditations Poétiques, (i 790-1 869.)

1. 32. H. Royer-CoUard : a French philosopher and political orator who was the leader of the Doctrinaire party which appeared after the restoration of the Bourbons in 181 5. This party was composed of moderate and constitutional royalists, who wished to reconcile popular liberty with the monarchical form of government. Being devoted to abstract doctrines and theories, rather than to practical politics, it accomplished little. ( 1 763-1 845 .)

Page 15. — 1. I. Balzac: one of the great French novelists, endowed with a wonderful power of analysis and description. He wrote a great many novels, the most important belonging to a series which he called La Comédie Humaine. Among the most powerful of them are Le Père Goriot^ Eugénie Grandet^ and La Peau de Chagrin, (i 799-1 850.)

1. 6. Beaumarchais : the well-known dramatist, author of the Barbier <U Seville and the Mariage de Figaro, (i 732-1 799.)

1. 12. Figaro : the character created by Beaumarchais which has since served as the type of the sly, clever, and witty valet. The reference here is to Beaumarchais himself, who, though a man of low birth, succeeded in gaining riches and reputation.

L 22. Despréauz : Boileau-Despréaux, generally called Boileau, the French poet and literary critic who was the arbiter of good usage under Louis XIV. ( 1 636-1 711.)

1. 25. Mme. de Séyigné : one of the most distinguished women of the 17th century, celebrated for the charming letters she has left, many of them being written to her daughter, the Comtesse de Grignan.

Page 16. — 1. 24. Racine : the celebrated writer of classic French tragedy. (1639-1699.)

1. 24. La Fontaine : a poet and the leading French fable writer. (1621-1695.)

1. 25. Molière : conceded to be the greatest writer of comedy the world has seen. "Tout homme qui sait lire, a dit Sainte-Beuve, est un lecteur de plus pour Molière."