Académie Française

Académie Française (French Academy), literary and linguistic society officially recognized in 1635. Membership is limited to 40, the so-called immortals, and includes prominent public literary figures. It has been criticized for electing individuals with personal influence, while ignoring those with real merit. Molière and Emile Zola were never elected. Over the centuries, the Academy has produced the dictionnaire, the official arbiter of the French language.