Columbia Encyclopedia

(Encyclopedia) Haywood, Eliza (Fowler), 1693?–1756, English author. Separated from her husband, she supported herself and her two children by writing plays and novels. Two of her books, Utopia (1725) and The Court...

(Encyclopedia) Kingsley, Charles, 1819–75, English author and clergyman. Ordained in 1842, he became vicar of Eversley in Hampshire in 1844. From 1848 to 1852 he published tracts advocating Christian socialism. Th...

(Encyclopedia) Klíma, Ivan ēvänˈ klēmˈə [key], 1931–, Czech author, b. Prague as Ivan Kauders, grad. Charles Univ., Prague (1956). Of Jewish descent, Klíma spent 1941–45 in the Theresienstadt (now Terez�...

(Encyclopedia) snoring, rough, vibratory sounds made in breathing during sleep or coma. The noisy breathing is the result of an open mouth and a relaxation of the palate; it is frequently induced by lying on one's b...

(Encyclopedia) Frederick Louis, 1707–51, prince of Wales, eldest son of George II of England. By his wife, Princess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha, he had several children, the eldest of whom became George III. He quarrele...

(Encyclopedia) Schwitters, Kurt ko͝ort shvĭtˈərs [key], 1887–1948, German artist, b. Hannover. Influenced by Kandinsky, by Picasso's reliefs, and by Dada constructions, he invented Merz [trash] constructions�...

(Encyclopedia) canzone –nä [key], in literature, Italian term meaning lyric or song. It is used to designate such various literary forms as Provençal troubadour poems and the lyrics of Dante, Petrarch, and other...

(Encyclopedia) illiteracy, inability to meet a certain minimum criterion of reading and writing skill. Throughout most of history most people have been illiterate. In feudal society, for example, the ability to re...

(Encyclopedia) goblin or hobgoblin, in French folklore, small household spirit, similar to the Celtic brownie. Goblins perform household tasks but also can make mischief, such as pulling the covers off sleepers. The...

(Encyclopedia) Priam prīˈəm [key], in Greek mythology, king of Troy during the Trojan War, son of Laomedon. Priam had several wives and was the father of 50 sons and many daughters. His chief wife, Hecuba, bore h...