Paul Meyer
Encyclopedia
Marie-Paul-Hyacinthe Meyer (January 17, 1840 - September 7, 1917), was a French
philologist.
and educated at the Lycée Louis le Grand and the École des Chartes, specializing in the Romance languages.
In 1863 he joined the manuscript
department of the Bibliothèque Nationale. He was keeper of the national archives
from 1866 to 1872. In 1876 he became professor of the languages and literatures of southern Europe at the Collège de France
. In 1882 he was made director of the École des Chartes, and a year later was nominated a member of the Academy of Inscriptions. He was one of the founders of the Revue critique (1865), and a founder and the chief contributor to Romania (1872).
Paul Meyer began with the study of old Provençal literature
, but subsequently did valuable work in many different departments of romance literature, and ranked as the chief authority on the French language
of his era.
He was a member of the Institute of France, and an associate of the British Academy
.
He edited several old French texts for the Société des anciens textes français
, the Société de l'histoire de France
and independently. Among these may be mentioned:
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
philologist.
Biography
Meyer was born in ParisParis
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...
and educated at the Lycée Louis le Grand and the École des Chartes, specializing in the Romance languages.
In 1863 he joined the manuscript
Manuscript
A manuscript or handwrite is written information that has been manually created by someone or some people, such as a hand-written letter, as opposed to being printed or reproduced some other way...
department of the Bibliothèque Nationale. He was keeper of the national archives
Archives nationales (France)
The Archives nationales preserve the national archives of the French state, apart from the archives of the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as these two ministries have their own archive services, the Service historique de la défense and the Archives diplomatiques...
from 1866 to 1872. In 1876 he became professor of the languages and literatures of southern Europe at the Collège de France
Collège de France
The Collège de France is a higher education and research establishment located in Paris, France, in the 5th arrondissement, or Latin Quarter, across the street from the historical campus of La Sorbonne at the intersection of Rue Saint-Jacques and Rue des Écoles...
. In 1882 he was made director of the École des Chartes, and a year later was nominated a member of the Academy of Inscriptions. He was one of the founders of the Revue critique (1865), and a founder and the chief contributor to Romania (1872).
Paul Meyer began with the study of old Provençal literature
Provençal literature
Occitan literature — still sometimes called Provençal literature — is a body of texts written in Occitan in what is nowadays the South of France. It originated in the poetry of the 11th- and 12th-century troubadours, and inspired the rise of vernacular literature throughout medieval...
, but subsequently did valuable work in many different departments of romance literature, and ranked as the chief authority on the French language
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
of his era.
He was a member of the Institute of France, and an associate of the British Academy
British Academy
The British Academy is the United Kingdom's national body for the humanities and the social sciences. Its purpose is to inspire, recognise and support excellence in the humanities and social sciences, throughout the UK and internationally, and to champion their role and value.It receives an annual...
.
Works
- Rapports sur les documents manuscrits de l'ancienne littérature de la France conservés dans les bibliothèques de la Grande Bretagne (1871)
- Recueil d'anciens textes bas-latins, provençaux et français (2 parts, 1874–1876)
- Alexandre le Grand dans la littérature française du Moyen âge (2 vols., 1886).
- L'Apocalypse en français au XIIIe siècle (Paris MS fr. 403)English Apocalypse ManuscriptsIllustrated Apocalypse manuscripts are manuscripts that contain the text of Revelation or a commentary on Revelation and also illustrations. Many of the more famous Apocalypse manuscripts were made in England c. 1250-1400....
(1900-1, with Léopold Delisle)
He edited several old French texts for the Société des anciens textes français
Société des anciens textes français
Société des anciens textes français is a learned society founded in Paris in 1875 with the purpose of publishing all kinds of medieval documents written either in langue d'oïl or langue d'oc . Its founding members are Henri Bordier, marquis J. de Laborde, A...
, the Société de l'histoire de France
Société de l'histoire de France
The Société de l'histoire de France was established on 21 December 1833 at the instigation of the French minister of Public Instruction, François Guizot, in order to contribute to the renewal of historical scholarship fuelled by a widespread interest in national history, typical of the Romantic...
and independently. Among these may be mentioned:
- Aye d'Avignon (1861), with Guessard
- Flamenca (1865)
- the Histoire of Guillaume le Maréchal (3 vols., 1892–1902)
- Raoul de CambraiRaoul de CambraiRaoul de Cambrai is a 12th -13th century French epic poem concerning the eponymous hero's battles to take possession of his fief and of the repercussions from these battles...
(1882), with Auguste Longnon - Fragments d'une vie de Saint Thomas de Canterbury (1885)
- Guillaume de la Barre (1894).
Honors
- He became honorary professor at the College of France in 1906.
- Commander in the Legion of Honor