(Encyclopedia) Gower, JohnGower, Johngouˈər, gôr [key], 1330?–1408, English poet. He was the best-known contemporary and friend of Chaucer, who addressed him as “Moral Gower,” at the end of Troilus…
(Encyclopedia) Scheler, MaxScheler, Maxmäks shāˈlər [key], 1874–1928, German philosopher. He taught at the universities of Jena (1901–7) and Munich (1907–10), where he was influenced by Franz…
(Encyclopedia) prairies, generally level, originally grass-covered and treeless plains of North America, stretching from W Ohio through Indiana, Illinois, and Iowa to the Great Plains region. The…
(Encyclopedia) Victorian style, in British and American architecture, an eclectic mode based on the revival of older styles, often in new combinations. Although the style is named after the reign (…
(Encyclopedia) Keaton, Buster (Joseph Francis Keaton), 1895–1966, American movie actor, b. Piqua, Kans. Considered one of the greatest comic actors in film history, Keaton used his considerable…
(Encyclopedia) Monk, Thelonius (Thelonius Sphere Monk), 1917–82, American jazz pianist, composer, and arranger, b. Rocky Mount, N.C. Monk is considered one of the most important, and eccentric,…
(Encyclopedia) Marley, Bob (Robert Nesta Marley), 1945–81, Jamaican reggae singer, songwriter, and guitarist. As a member of the Wailers, a reggae band…
(Encyclopedia) Murasaki ShikibuMurasaki Shikibum&oomacr;ˌräsäˈkē shēˌkēb&oomacr;ˈ [key], c.978–1031?, Japanese novelist, court figure at the height of the Heian period (794–1185). Known also…
(Encyclopedia) Inchbald, ElizabethInchbald, Elizabethĭnchˈbôld [key], 1753–1821, English author. The daughter of a farmer, Joseph Simpson, she went to London in 1772 to seek her fortune on the stage…
(Encyclopedia) Huysmans, Joris KarlHuysmans, Joris Karlzhōrēsˈ kärl üēsmäNsˈ [key], 1848–1907, French novelist and art critic of Dutch family. He was at first a disciple of Zola; typical of his early…