La Harpe, Jean François De

Related Category: French Literature: Biographies

(zhäN fräNswä´ də lä ärp), 1739–1803, French critic. He was the author of the monumental Cours de littérature ancienne et moderne, lectures he delivered after his appointment (1786) at a lycée in Paris. His judgments on the classical period especially have been borne out by time. He also wrote plays, commentaries (notably on Racine), and critical essays.