François Noël
Encyclopedia
François-Joseph-Michel Noël (12 January 1756, Saint-Germain-en-Laye
- 29 January 1841, Paris
) was a French humanist.
, collaborating on the journal la Chronique and going on several diplomatic missions.
Named a member of the Tribunat
, he left it to go to Lyon
to fill the role of commisar-general of police. In 1801, he was made préfet
of the Haut-Rhin
and, in 1802, inspector general of public education.
Noël wrote, with, J.-M.-J. de La Place : Conciones poeticæ, ou Discours choisis des poètes latins anciens (Paris
, 1803, in-12) ; Leçons françaises de littérature et de morale (1801., 2 vol. in-8°), a frequently-reprinted anthology long used in all collèges ; Leçons latines anciennes (1808, 2 vol. in-8°) ; Leçons latines modernes (1818, 2 vol. in-8°) ; Leçons grecques (1825, 2 vol. in-8°).
With Charles-Pierre Chapsal, he prepared : Nouvelle grammaire française (Paris, 1823, 2 vol. in-12), which became a classic and remained in usage despite well-founded criticisms of it for imposing arbitrary and contradictory rules on the spirit of the French language and on good authors' usage of it ; Nouveau dictionnaire de la langue française (1826 ; in-12).
Also by Noël, with various collaborators : Dictionnaire étymologique, critique, historique, anecdotique et littéraire... pour servir à l’histoire de la langue française, 1839, avec M. L.-J. Carpentier (Paris, Le Normant, 1839) ; le Nouveau siècle de Louis XIV (Paris, 1793, 1 vol. in-8), anthology of satirical chanson
s and verse on Louis XIV and his court ; Éphémérides politiques, littéraires et religieuses (Paris, 1796-1797, 4. vol. in-8°) ; Dictionnaire de la Fable (Paris, 1801, 2 vol. in-8°) ; Dictionnarium Latino-gallicum (Paris, 1807, in-8°) ; Nouveau dictionnaire, français Latin (Paris, 1808, in-8°) ; Gradus ad Parnassum (Paris, 1810, in-8°) ; Philologie française ou Dictionnaire étymologique, critique, historique, etc. (Paris, 1831, 2 vol. in-8°) ; Nouveau dictionnaire des origines, inventions et découvertes (Paris, 1827, 2 vol. in-8°), etc.
Noël translated Catullus
and Gallus
(1803, 2 vol. in-8°), and (with Dureau de La Malle's son) completed the translation of Livy
by Dureau de La Malle
(1810-1824, 17 vol. in-8°). He also revised the translations of Virgil
and Horace
by Binet
.
He also translated several English works into French, and edited various authors.
Saint-Germain-en-Laye
Saint-Germain-en-Laye is a commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France in north-central France. It is located in the western suburbs of Paris from the centre.Inhabitants are called Saint-Germanois...
- 29 January 1841, Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
) was a French humanist.
Life
A student then a professor at the collège Louis-le-Grand, Noël left his job at the outbreak of the French RevolutionFrench Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
, collaborating on the journal la Chronique and going on several diplomatic missions.
Named a member of the Tribunat
Tribunat
The Tribunat was one of the four assemblies set up in France by the Constitution of Year VIII . It was set up officially on 1 January 1800 at the same time as the...
, he left it to go to Lyon
Lyon
Lyon , is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located at from Paris, from Marseille, from Geneva, from Turin, and from Barcelona. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais....
to fill the role of commisar-general of police. In 1801, he was made préfet
Préfet
A prefect in France is the State's representative in a department or region. Sub-prefects are responsible for the subdivisions of departments, arrondissements...
of the Haut-Rhin
Haut-Rhin
Haut-Rhin is a département of the Alsace region of France, named after the Rhine river. Its name means Upper Rhine. Haut-Rhin is the smaller and less populated of the two departements of Alsace, although is still densely populated compared to the rest of France.-Subdivisions:The department...
and, in 1802, inspector general of public education.
Works
His very numerous works were in large part compilations of his views on university education.Noël wrote, with, J.-M.-J. de La Place : Conciones poeticæ, ou Discours choisis des poètes latins anciens (Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, 1803, in-12) ; Leçons françaises de littérature et de morale (1801., 2 vol. in-8°), a frequently-reprinted anthology long used in all collèges ; Leçons latines anciennes (1808, 2 vol. in-8°) ; Leçons latines modernes (1818, 2 vol. in-8°) ; Leçons grecques (1825, 2 vol. in-8°).
With Charles-Pierre Chapsal, he prepared : Nouvelle grammaire française (Paris, 1823, 2 vol. in-12), which became a classic and remained in usage despite well-founded criticisms of it for imposing arbitrary and contradictory rules on the spirit of the French language and on good authors' usage of it ; Nouveau dictionnaire de la langue française (1826 ; in-12).
Also by Noël, with various collaborators : Dictionnaire étymologique, critique, historique, anecdotique et littéraire... pour servir à l’histoire de la langue française, 1839, avec M. L.-J. Carpentier (Paris, Le Normant, 1839) ; le Nouveau siècle de Louis XIV (Paris, 1793, 1 vol. in-8), anthology of satirical chanson
Chanson
A chanson is in general any lyric-driven French song, usually polyphonic and secular. A singer specialising in chansons is known as a "chanteur" or "chanteuse" ; a collection of chansons, especially from the late Middle Ages and Renaissance, is also known as a chansonnier.-Chanson de geste:The...
s and verse on Louis XIV and his court ; Éphémérides politiques, littéraires et religieuses (Paris, 1796-1797, 4. vol. in-8°) ; Dictionnaire de la Fable (Paris, 1801, 2 vol. in-8°) ; Dictionnarium Latino-gallicum (Paris, 1807, in-8°) ; Nouveau dictionnaire, français Latin (Paris, 1808, in-8°) ; Gradus ad Parnassum (Paris, 1810, in-8°) ; Philologie française ou Dictionnaire étymologique, critique, historique, etc. (Paris, 1831, 2 vol. in-8°) ; Nouveau dictionnaire des origines, inventions et découvertes (Paris, 1827, 2 vol. in-8°), etc.
Noël translated Catullus
Catullus
Gaius Valerius Catullus was a Latin poet of the Republican period. His surviving works are still read widely, and continue to influence poetry and other forms of art.-Biography:...
and Gallus
Cornelius Gallus
Gaius Cornelius Gallus , Roman poet, orator and politician, was born of humble parents at Forum Livii in Italy.At an early age he moved to Rome, where he was taught by the same master as Virgil and Varius Rufus. Virgil, who dedicated one of his eclogues to him, was in great measure indebted to...
(1803, 2 vol. in-8°), and (with Dureau de La Malle's son) completed the translation of Livy
Livy
Titus Livius — known as Livy in English — was a Roman historian who wrote a monumental history of Rome and the Roman people. Ab Urbe Condita Libri, "Chapters from the Foundation of the City," covering the period from the earliest legends of Rome well before the traditional foundation in 753 BC...
by Dureau de La Malle
Jean-Baptiste Dureau de la Malle
Jean-Baptiste Dureau de la Malle was a French translator. The son of Laurent Dureau de la Malle and Elisabeth Sauvage, he married Elisabeth-Renée Maignon, who had also been born in Saint-Domingue, and their son was Adolphe Dureau de la Malle.-Life:Jean-Baptiste came to study in Paris and, freed...
(1810-1824, 17 vol. in-8°). He also revised the translations of Virgil
Virgil
Publius Vergilius Maro, usually called Virgil or Vergil in English , was an ancient Roman poet of the Augustan period. He is known for three major works of Latin literature, the Eclogues , the Georgics, and the epic Aeneid...
and Horace
Horace
Quintus Horatius Flaccus , known in the English-speaking world as Horace, was the leading Roman lyric poet during the time of Augustus.-Life:...
by Binet
René Binet (translator)
René Binet was a French professor and translator. He was professor of rhetoric at the collège du Plessis, rector of the Université de Paris in 1791, then proviseur of the lycée Bonaparte.- Traductions :...
.
He also translated several English works into French, and edited various authors.
Source
- Gustave Vapereau, Dictionnaire universel des littératures, Paris, Hachette, 1876, p. 1498