Claude Duneton was a French literary figure of note (1935-2012) and a versatile and prolific writer, whose Parler croquant (1973) first brought him public acclaim. He enjoyed most of all the weekly language articles he wrote for Le Figaro littéraire, from 1994 to 2010, when his life as a writer was cruelly cut short by a severe, disabling stroke. When Claude Duneton succeeded Maurice Chapelan (Aristide) as resident chroniqueur du langage at Le Figaro, he was not without experience in the field, having successfully composed such pieces for the women’s magazine Elle during the late 1970s. That period served him well as a preparation for his sixteen years at Le Figaro. The title of his articles, Le plaisir des mots, was perfectly fitting, since his work as chroniqueur brought him the greatest delight and satisfaction, les mots, words, their meaning, their etymology, their often amusing history, their every aspect, being his grande passion.

Claude Duneton was a French literary figure of note (1935-2012) and a versatile and prolific writer, whose Parler croquant (1973) first brought him public acclaim. He enjoyed most of all the weekly language articles he wrote for Le Figaro littraire, from 1994 to 2010, when his life as a writer was cruelly cut short by a severe, disabling stroke. When Claude Duneton succeeded Maurice Chapelan (Aristide) as resident chroniqueur du langage at Le Figaro, he was not without experience in the field, having successfully composed such pieces for the womens magazine Elle during the late 1970s. That period served him well as a preparation for his sixteen years at Le Figaro. The title of his articles, Le plaisir des mots, was perfectly fitting, since his work as chroniqueur brought him the greatest delight and satisfaction, les mots, words, their meaning, their etymology, their often amusing history, their every aspect, being his grande passion.

Is it true that French people enjoy reading grammar articles over their coffee and croissants? Can matters of language really be so interesting and absorbing? For thirty years, Aristide composed his Usage et grammaire and Divertissements grammaticaux for one of France’s foremost daily newspapers, Le Figaro. His fans avidly read his weekly chroniques de langue, corresponding with him and asking him questions, which he delighted in answering. His linguistic writings, topical, witty and elegant, are both entertaining and instructive. This book on Aristide’s work will be appreciated by lovers of the French language the world over. Although written in English, it is peppered throughout with extracts from Aristide’s weekly rubriques. Aristide stood in the long tradition of French grammarians, some purist and others relatively laxist. Bernard Pivot described him as one who was «sévère pour une faute de français, indulgent pour un français en faute».

This work presents Maurice Chapelan in three distinct ways: firstly, as a poet, biographer, literary critic and writer of aphorisms; secondly, as a famous newspaper grammarian; and, thirdly, as the author of romans galants, inspired by his youthful study of his paternal grandfather’s rich library of eighteenth-century literature. Although Chapelan died in 1992, many of his books are still in print and he is remembered with affection, admiration and gratitude, especially by those who used to relish his witty Divertissements grammaticaux (formerly Usage et grammaire) every week in Le Figaro littéraire, where he had become resident chroniqueur du langage in 1961. Maurice Aristide Chapelan may well have been three distinct writers, signing himself in fun as MAC, le Diable—comme Dieu en trois personnes, but these three persons had a well-defined unifying thread running through their literary output: a beauty, a simplicity and an elegance of style, revealing a love of the French language and more than a hint of libertinage.

The amazing scientist, mathematician, philosopher Émilie du Châtelet (1706-49) has widely been hailed as a rare female intellectual in the Enlightenment. At the same time, her own ideas and contributions remain largely unknown and her writings are rarely read. This is unfortunate, since she has interesting contributions to and explanations of physics, metaphysics, religion, translation, the equality of the sexes, and ethics.This book is a selection of du Châtelet's philosophical writings, in new English translations: -Foreword to "Foundations of Physics"-On the Principles of Our Knowledge (From "Foundations of Physics")-On the Existence of God (From "Foundations of Physics")-On Liberty-Translator's Preface to Mandeville's "Fable of the Bees"-On the Resurrection of the Dead (from "Examinations of the Bible")-On Happiness

This volume brings together scholars and artist-researchers to explore the nature and function of musical instruments in creative practices, and their role in musical culture. Through historical, theoretical, critical, practical-artistic perspectives and case studies, the contributors here examine identities and affordances of acoustical, electronic and digital musical instruments, the kinds of relationships that composers and performers establish with them, and the crucial role they play in the emergence of musical experiences and meanings.

Providing an excellent example of why folk artists can be appreciated as carriers of knowledge, even if they are unaware of it, this book could change the ways we understand and appreciate American folk arts. Connecting a sharecropper from Georgia in the Southern United States to a protector and healer in Touba, Senegal, West Africa, the holy city of Mouridism, and the final resting place of its founder, Shaikh Ahmadou Bàmba Mbàcke, it makes an interesting link while examining the cultural aspects of two very different and yet similar paths of life. Historians and art historians alike will find this investigation of African American art and folk culture both interesting and insightful. Not only does this book trace the characteristics of art through the African Diaspora, but it also traces Islam through those same diasporic transportations of colonial exploration and slavery.