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Abel François Villemain (1790–1870)
Villemain, Abel François (vēl-ma
‘). A French writer; born in Paris, June 11, 1790; died there, May 8, 1870. He filled the chair of rhetoric at the Lycée Charlemagne, 1810–16, and of French eloquence at the Sorbonne, 1816–26. With Cousin and Guizot he formed the famous trio known as “the three professors.” He won the prize offered by the Academy in 1812 with his essay ‘Eulogy of Montaigne’; again in 1814 with ‘Advantages and Drawbacks of Criticism’; and in 1816 with ‘Eulogy of Montesquieu.’ The French Academy elected him a member in 1821. His three greatest works are: ‘Course of French Literature: A View of the Eighteenth Century’; ‘A View of Christian Eloquence in the Fourth Century’; ‘History of Gregory VII.,’ a posthumous publication (1873).