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Revision as of 23:59, 10 January 2004 by Snoyes (talk | contribs)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)The Académie Française (IPA a-ka-de-mi fra~-sɛz) (literally, French Academy) is a French body founded in 1570 when King Charles IX granted the charter of an "academy of Music and Poetry" to the poet Antoine de Baïf and the musician, Gourville, who named it "Académie Française." On February 10, 1635, Cardinal Richelieu (minister of Louis XIII) expanded it into a national academy for the artistic elite.
The Académie, located in Paris, is the French official authority on usage, vocabulary, and grammar of the French language, although its recommendations carry no legal power and are even sometimes disregarded by governmental authorities. It also encourages the use of French worldwide and awards literary prizes.
As French culture and language have come under increasing pressure with the widespread availability of English media, the Académie has tried to prevent the anglicisation of the French language. It is as a direct result of a decision of the Académie that the French word for "computer" is "ordinateur" and that the field of study dealing with computers is known as "informatique."
The Académie itself is composed of forty members, known as the immortels (immortals) because they serve for life. Famous current and former immortels include author Victor Hugo, author and director Marcel Pagnol, poet and filmmaker Jean Cocteau, playwright Eugène Ionesco, anthropologist Claude Lévi-Strauss, and physicist Louis-Victor de Broglie.
The Académie is tasked with publishing an official dictionary of the French language. It has done so in 1694, 1718, 1740, 1762, 1798, 1835, 1878, and in 1932-1935. The Académie continues work on the most recent (ninth) 1992 edition of the dictionary, of which the first volume (A to Enzyme) appeared in 1992, and the second volume (Éocène to Mappemonde) appeared in 2000.
Members of the Académie Française
- René Rémond, elected 1998
- Hector Bianciotti, elected 1996
- Jean-Denis Bredin, elected 1989
- Jean-Marie Lustiger, elected 1995
- vacant
- Jean Ogier de Gombauld, 1634 - 1666, poet, playwright and novellist
- Paul Tallement le Jeune, 1666 - 1712, ecclesiastic
- Antoine Danchet, 1712 - 1748, playwright and poet
- Jean-Baptiste-Louis Gresset, 1748 - 1777, playwright
- Claude-François-Xavier Millot, 1777 - 1785, ecclesiastic
- André Morellet, 1785 - 1819, ecclesiastic
- Pierre-Édouard Lémontey, 1819 - 1826, politician and lawyer
- Joseph Fourier, 1826 - 1830, mathematician and phycisist
- Victor Cousin, 1830 - 1867, politician and philosopher
- Jules Favre, 1867- 1880, politician and lawyer
- Edmond Rousse, 1880 - 1906, lawyer
- Pierre de Ségur, 1907 - 1916, historian
- Robert de Flers, 1920 - 1927, dramatist and journalist
- Louis Madelin, 1927 - 1956, historian
- Robert Kemp, 1956 - 1959, literary and dramatic critic
- René Huyghe, 1960 - 1997, art historian and essayist
- Georges Vedel, 1998 - 2002, magistrate
- Marc Fumaroli, elected 1995
- Jacqueline Worms de Romilly, elected 1988
- Michel Déon, elected 1978
- Alain Decaux, elected 1979
- Florence Delay, elected 2000
- Gabriel de Broglie, elected 2001
- Jean d'Ormesson, elected 1973
- Pierre Messmer, elected 1999, senior bureaucrat and politician
- Claude-Gaspard Bachet de Méziriac, 1634 - 1638, grammarian and mathematician
- François de la Mothe-le-Vayer, 1639 - 1672, critic, grammarian and philosopher
- Jean Racine, 1672 - 1699, playwright, mathematician, phycisist, medical doctor
- Jean-Baptiste-Henri de Valincour, 1699 - 1730, historiographer and admiral
- Jean-François Leriget de La Faye, 1730 - 1731, politician
- Prosper Jolyot de Crébillon, 1731 - 1762, playwright
- Claude-Henri de Fusée de Voisenon, 1762 - 1775, ecclesiastic, playwright and poet
- Jean de Dieu-Raymond Boisgelin de Cucé, 1776 - 1804, ecclesiastic
- Jean-Baptiste Dureau de la Malle, 1804 - 1807, translator
- Louis-Benoît Picard, 1807 - 1828, comedian, poet, novelist and playwright
- Antoine-Vincent Arnault, 1829 - 1834, poet, fabulist and playwright - see also seat 16
- Eugène Scribe, 1834 - 1861, playwright
- Octave Feuillet, 1862 - 1890, novelist and playwright
- Pierre Loti, 1891 - 1923, novelist and soldier
- Albert Besnard, 1924 - 1934, painter and engraver
- Louis Gillet, 1935 - 1943, historian of art and litterature
- Paul Claudel, 1946 - 1955, poet, playwright, novelist and diplomat
- Wladimir d' Ormesson, 1956 - 1973, politician, chronicler and novellist
- Maurice Schumann, 1974 - 1998, politician, essayist, journalist, novelist and historian
- Hélène Carrère d'Encausse, elected 1990, historian
- François Maynard, 1634-1646, magistrate and poet
- Pierre Corneille, 1647-1684, playwright and lawyer
- Thomas Corneille, 1684-1709, playwright
- Antoine Houdar de La Motte, 1710-1731, playwright
- Michel-Celse-Roger de Bussy-Rabutin, 1732-1736, ecclesiastic
- Étienne Lauréault de Foncemagne, 1736-1779, ecclesiastic
- Michel-Paul-Gui de Chabanon, 1779-1792, playwright
- Jacques-André Naigeon, 1803-1810, encyclopedist
- Népomucène Lemercier, 1810-1840, poet and playwright
- Victor Hugo, 1841-1885, poet, playwright and novelist
- Charles Leconte de Lisle, 1886-1894, poet and playwright
- Henry Houssaye, 1894-1911, historian and novelist
- Louis-Hubert Lyautey, 1912-1934, soldier
- Louis Franchet d'Espèrey, 1934-1942, politician and soldier
- Robert d'Harcourt, 1946-1965, literary historian and essayist
- Jean Mistler, 1966-1988, novelist, essayist, literary historian, music critic and politician
- Frédéric Vitoux, elected 2001
- Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, elected 2003
- Jean Sirmond, 1634-1649
- Jean de Montereul, 1649-1651
- François Tallemant l'Aîné, 1651-1693
- Simon de la Loubère, 1693-1729
- Claude Sallier, 1729-1761
- Jean-Gilles du Coëtlosquet, 1761-1784
- Anne-Pierre de Montesquiou-Fézensac, 1784-1798
- Antoine-Vincent Arnault, 1803, excluded 1816, reelected in 1829, seat 13
- Armand du Plessis, duc de Richelieu, 1816-1822
- Bon-Joseph Dacier, 1822-1833
- Pierre-François Tissot, 1833-1854
- Félix Dupanloup, 1854-1878
- Edme-Armand-Gaston d'Audiffret-Pasquier, 1878-1905
- Alexandre Ribot, 1906-1923
- Henri Robert, 1923-1936
- Charles Maurras, 1938, not excluded, but seat declared vacant in 1945
- Antoine de Lévis Mirepoix, 1953-1981
- Léopold Sédar Senghor, 1983-2001
- Érik Orsenna, elected 1998
- Michel Serres, elected 1990
- Pierre Moinot, elected 1982
- Angelo Rinaldi, elected 2001
- Félicien Marceau, elected 1975
- René de Obaldia, elected 1999
- Pierre Rosenberg, elected 1995
- Jean-François Revel, elected 1997
- Jean Bernard, elected 1975
- Claude de L'Estoile, 1634-1652
- Armand de Camboust, duc de Coislin, 1652-1702
- Pierre de Camboust, duc de Coislin, 1702-1710
- Henri-Charles de Coislin, 1710-1732
- Jean-Baptiste Surian, 1733-1754
- Jean Le Rond, dit d'Alembert, 1754-1783
- Marie-Gabriel-Florent-Auguste de Choiseul-Gouffier, 1783, excluded 1803
- Jean-Étienne-Marie Portalis, 1803-1807
- Pierre Laujon, 1807-1811
- Charles-Guillaume Étienne, 1811-1816. Excluded by ordonnance; see also seat 32
- Marie-Gabriel-Florent-Auguste de Choiseul-Gouffier, (2nd time), 1816-1817
- Jean-Louis Laya, 1817-1833
- Charles Nodier, 1833-1844
- Prosper Mérimée, 1844-1870
- Louis de Loménie, 1871-1878
- Hippolyte Taine, 1878-1893
- Albert Sorel, 1894-1906
- Maurice Donnay, 1907-1945
- Marcel Pagnol, 1946-1974
- Jean-Marie Rouart, elected 1997
- Pierre Nora, elected 2001
- Henri Troyat, elected 1959
- Claude Lévi-Strauss, elected 1973
- Maurice Druon, elected 1966
- Jean Dutourd, elected 1978
- vacant
- Claude Favre de Vaugelas, 1634-1650
- Georges de Scudéry, 1650-1667
- Philippe de Dangeau, 1667-1720
- Louis-François-Armand du Plessis de Richelieu, 1720-1788
- François-Henri d'Harcourt, 1788-1802
- Lucien Bonaparte, 1803-1816. Excluded by ordonnance.
- Louis-Simon Auger, 1816-1829
- Charles-Guillaume Étienne, 1829-1845 (see also seat 25)
- Alfred de Vigny, 1845-1863
- Camille Doucet, 1865-1895
- Charles Costa de Beauregard, 1896-1909
- Hippolyte Langlois, 1911-1912
- Émile Boutroux, 1912-1921
- Pierre de Nolhac, 1922-1936
- Georges Grente, 1936-1959
- Henri Massis, 1960-1970
- Georges Izard, 1971-1973
- Robert Aron, 1974-1975
- Maurice Rheims, 1976-2003
- Michel Mohrt, elected 1985
- François Cheng, elected 2002
- Yves Pouliquen, elected 2001
- Jean-François Deniau, elected 1992
- Robert-Ambroise-Marie Carré, elected 1975
- François Jacob, elected 1996
- Bertrand Poirot-Delpech, elected 1986
- Pierre-Jean Rémy, elected 1988
- Daniel de Priézac, 1639 - 1662, law professor
- Michel Le Clerc, 1662 - 1691, lawyer
- Jacques de Tourreil, 1692 - 1714, translater
- Jean-Roland Mallet, 1714 - 1736, royal valet
- Jean-François Boyer, 1736 - 1755, ecclesiastic
- Nicolas Thyrel de Boismont, 1755- 1786, ecclesiastic
- Claude-Carloman de Rulhière, 1787 - 1791, diplomat, poet and historian
- Pierre-Jean-Georges Cabanis, 1803 - 1808, medical doctor and physiologist
- Antoine-Louis-Claude Destutt de Tracy, 1808 - 1836, philosopher
- François Guizot, 1836 - 1874, politician and historian
- Jean-Baptiste Dumas, 1875 - 1884, politician and chemist
- Joseph Bertrand, 1884 - 1900, mathematician, historian of science
- Marcellin Berthelot, 1900 - 1907, politician, chemist, essayist, historian of science
- Francis Charmes, 1908 - 1916, diplomat and journalist
- Jules Cambon, 1918 - 1935, diplomat, lawyer, senior civil servant
- Lucien Lacaze, 1936 - 1955, admiral
- Jacques Chastenet, 1956 - 1978, journalist, historian and diplomat
- Georges Dumézil, 1978 - 1986, philologist and historian of civilizations