hippolyte taine

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Definition of hippolyte taine in English English dictionary

born April 21, 1828, Vouziers, Ardennes, France died March 5, 1893, Paris French thinker, critic, and historian. Taine came to believe as a youth that knowledge must be based on sense experience, observation, and controlled experiment, a conviction that guided his career. Teaching at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris (1864-83), he earned a reputation as one of the most esteemed exponents of 19th-century French positivism with his attempts to apply the scientific method to the study of the humanities. His works include a History of English Literature (1863-64), containing an explanation of his approach to cultural and literary history and his scientific attitude toward criticism; On Intelligence (1871), a study in psychology; and his monumental historical analysis Les Origines de la France contemporaine, 3 vol. (1876-99)

Related Terms

Hippolyte -Adolphe Taine

born April 21, 1828, Vouziers, Ardennes, France died March 5, 1893, Paris French thinker, critic, and historian. Taine came to believe as a youth that knowledge must be based on sense experience, observation, and controlled experiment, a conviction that guided his career. Teaching at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris (1864-83), he earned a reputation as one of the most esteemed exponents of 19th-century French positivism with his attempts to apply the scientific method to the study of the humanities. His works include a History of English Literature (1863-64), containing an explanation of his approach to cultural and literary history and his scientific attitude toward criticism; On Intelligence (1871), a study in psychology; and his monumental historical analysis Les Origines de la France contemporaine, 3 vol. (1876-99)

Hyphenation

Hip·po·ly·te Taine