Hippolyte Adolphe (Hippolyte) Taine (1828–93)

French philosopher, critic, and historian. Educated at the Collège Bourbon, Paris, 1841–8, and the École normale supérieure, 1848–51. Elected to the Académie française, 1878. Best-known for his History of English literature (1863–4), Notes on England (1872), and Origins of contemporary France (1875–93).