20th-century international relations: The threats to Britain’s empire: If, as Germany’s neo-Rankean historians proclaimed, the old European balance of power was giving way to a new world balance, then the future would surely belong to the Anglo-Saxons (British Empire and America) and Slavs (Russian Empire) unless Germany were able to achieve its own place in the…

alternative vote (AV), method of election in which voters rank candidates in order of preference. If any single candidate receives a majority of first-preference votes, that candidate is deemed elected. If no candidate clears this hurdle, the last-place candidate is eliminated and that candidate’s

rackett, (from German Rank, “bend”), in music, double-reed wind instrument of the 16th and 17th centuries. It consisted of a short wooden or ivory cylinder typically bored with nine extremely narrow channels connected in a series. In the earlier forms the cylindrically bored channels emerged at the

Keewatin: …(Arviat, Baker Lake [Qamanittuaq], and Rankin Inlet [Kangiqtinq; the regional headquarters]), are economically dependent upon fur trapping, sealing, copper and gold mining, and handicrafts. The population is mostly Inuit. Pop. (2006) 8,348; (2011) 8,348.

the Shadows: …original members were lead guitarist Hank B. Marvin (original name Brian Robson Rankin; b. October 28, 1941, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, England), rhythm guitarist Bruce Welch (original name Bruce Cripps; b. November 2, 1941, Bognor Regis, Sussex), bassist Jet Harris (byname of Terence Harris; b. July 6, 1939,…

Ian Rankin is a Scottish best-selling crime novelist, creator of the Inspector Rebus series. (For Rankin’s reflections on the Scottish capital, see Edinburgh: A City of Stories.) Rankin grew up in a small coal-mining town, where at a young age he displayed a talent for writing poetry. He studied

Ian Rankin is a Scottish best-selling crime novelist, creator of the Inspector Rebus series. (For Rankin’s reflections on the Scottish capital, see Edinburgh: A City of Stories.) Rankin grew up in a small coal-mining town, where at a young age he displayed a talent for writing poetry. He studied

Jeannette Rankin was the first woman member of the U.S. Congress, representing Montana in the House of Representatives (1917–19, 1941–43). Rankin was a vigorous feminist and a lifetime pacifist and crusader for social and electoral reform. Rankin graduated from the University of Montana in 1902.

golf: The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA): Jo-Anne Carner, Amy Alcott, and Judy Rankin. The most notable player to emerge during the ’70s was Nancy Lopez, who, by winning nine tournaments (including a record five straight) during her first full season on the tour (1978), was a major force in increasing the popularity and prestige of the…

Rankine cycle, in heat engines, ideal cyclical sequence of changes of pressure and temperature of a fluid, such as water, used in an engine, such as a steam engine. It is used as a thermodynamic standard for rating the performance of steam power plants. The cycle was described in 1859 by the

Rankine temperature scale, scale established in 1859 by Scottish engineer and physicist William John Macquorn Rankine (1820–72), with its zero set to the theoretical temperature at which the molecules of a substance have the lowest energy (absolute zero). The Rankine (°R) scale is the absolute

Claudia Rankine is a Jamaican-born American poet, playwright, educator, and multimedia artist whose work often reflects a moral vision that deplores racism and perpetuates the call for social justice. She envisions her craft as a means to create something vivid, intimate, and transparent. At the

William John Macquorn Rankine was a Scottish engineer and physicist and one of the founders of the science of thermodynamics, particularly in reference to steam-engine theory. Trained as a civil engineer under Sir John Benjamin MacNeill, Rankine was appointed to the Queen Victoria chair of civil

Several scales of tropical cyclone intensity have been developed, one of the first being the Saffir-Simpson hurricane wind scale, which was devised in the United States in the early 1970s. This scale—created by American engineer Herbert Saffir and American meteorologist Robert Simpson (director of

Table of Ranks, (Jan. 24, 1722), classification of grades in the Russian military, naval, and civil services into a hierarchy of 14 categories and the foundation of a system of promotion based on personal ability and performance rather than on birth and genealogy. This system, introduced by Peter I

South Australia: Political characteristics: In 2004 Labor, under Mike Rann, issued a strategic plan focusing on economic development and improvements in health and education over the coming decade. Rann also persuaded the Labor Party to adopt a more positive attitude toward uranium mining.

The Book of Mormon: History and development: …Arnold Cunningham were performed by Andrew Rannells and Josh Gad, respectively, both of whom had already been playing those parts for some time in the workshops.

Rannoch, geographic region in the Grampian Mountains of Scotland, composed mainly of moorland and lochs (lakes). The region includes Loch Rannoch, part of the Tummel-Ericht hydroelectric scheme, and, south of the loch, Rannoch Moor, a bleak windswept area of 20 square miles (52 square km) of

Renenutet, in Egyptian religion, goddess of fertility and of the harvest, sometimes depicted in the form of a snake. In addition to her other functions, she was also counted as the protector of the

frog and toad: Annotated classification: Superfamily Ranoidea Pectoral girdle firmisternal; ribs absent; amplexus axillary; larvae with single sinistral spiracle and complex mouthparts or undergoing direct development. Family Arthroleptidae No fossil record; 8 presacral vertebrae; vertebral column procoelous with Presacral VIII (biconcave); aquatic larvae or direct development; 7 genera, 74 species; adult

Sindhia family: The dynasty was founded by Ranoji Sindhia, who in 1726 was put in charge of the Malwa region by the peshwa (chief minister of the Maratha state). By his death in 1750, Ranoji had established his capital at Ujjain. Only later was the Sindhia capital moved to the rock fortress…

Ranong, town, southern Thailand, on the west coast of the Malay Peninsula. Ranong town is a fishing port in the Pakchan River estuary. Burma lies to the northwest, and there are highlands to the east. Ranong is also in a tin-mining region. Pop. (2000)

Alonzo J. Ransier was a black member of the U.S. House of Representatives from South Carolina during Reconstruction. Ransier was born a free black and received a rudimentary education. His career in public life began immediately after the American Civil War when, in 1865, he served as registrar of

Alonzo J. Ransier was a black member of the U.S. House of Representatives from South Carolina during Reconstruction. Ransier was born a free black and received a rudimentary education. His career in public life began immediately after the American Civil War when, in 1865, he served as registrar of

German literature: The turn of the 21st century: The Austrian writer Christoph Ransmayr’s powerful Morbus Kitahara (1995; The Dog King) is set in a dystopian landscape that resembles Mauthausen concentration camp and in an imagined alternative history in which Germany has not been permitted to redevelop its industrial capabilities following World War II. W.G. Sebald’s haunting…

Mel Gibson: …a string of successful films—including Ransom (1996) and Signs (2002)—Gibson returned to directing with The Passion of the Christ (2004), an account of the last 12 hours of Jesus Christ’s life that was based primarily on the biblical Gospels, with dialogue in Aramaic and Latin (with English subtitles). Although The

The Ransom of Red Chief, short story by O. Henry, published in the collection Whirligigs in 1910. In the story, two kidnappers make off with the young son of a prominent man only to find that the child is more trouble than he is worth; in the end, they agree to pay the boy’s father to take him

Basil Ransom, fictional character, an educated, autocratic, and elegant Confederate army veteran in Henry James’s novel The Bostonians

John Crowe Ransom was an American poet and critic, leading theorist of the Southern literary renaissance that began after World War I. Ransom’s The New Criticism (1941) provided the name of the influential mid-20th-century school of criticism (see New Criticism). Ransom, whose father was a

Arthur Ransome was an English writer best known for the Swallows and Amazons series of children’s novels (1930–47), which set the pattern for “holiday adventure” stories. After studying science for only two terms at Yorkshire College, Leeds, Ransome pursued a literary career. His ambition was to be

Arthur Ransome was an English writer best known for the Swallows and Amazons series of children’s novels (1930–47), which set the pattern for “holiday adventure” stories. After studying science for only two terms at Yorkshire College, Leeds, Ransome pursued a literary career. His ambition was to be

construction: The invention of reinforced concrete: In the United States Ernest Ransome paralleled Hennebique’s work, constructing factory buildings in concrete. High-rise structures in concrete followed the paradigm of the steel frame. Examples include the 16-story Ingalls Building (1903) in Cincinnati, which was 54 meters (180 feet) tall, and the 11-story Royal Liver Building (1909), built…

Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti was a Nigerian feminist and political leader who was the leading advocate of women’s rights in her country during the first half of the 20th century. Her parents were Christians of Yoruba descent. She was the first female student at the Abeokuta Grammar School (a secondary

Fela Kuti was a Nigerian musician and activist who launched a modern style of music called Afro-beat, which fused American blues, jazz, and funk with traditional Yoruba music. Kuti was the son of feminist and labour activist Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti. As a youth he took lessons in piano and percussion

ransomware, malicious software (malware) that permanently blocks access to data or devices until the owner of the data pays a ransom. Ransomware generally works by gaining access to a computer system as a Trojan horse virus and encrypting the system’s files so that they cannot be accessed without a

Western painting: Symbolism: They included Paul Ranson, who gave the style a decorative and linear inflection, Pierre Bonnard, and Édouard Vuillard.

Celebes: Geography: The highest peak is Mount Rantekombola, or Mario, at 11,335 feet (3,455 meters). Major deep lakes (danau) are Towuti, Poso, and Matana, the latter having been sounded to 1,936 feet (590 meters). The rivers are short and unimportant.

Celebes: Geography: …160 inches (4,060 mm) in Rantepao (southwest-central section) to 21 inches (530 mm) in Palu (a rift valley near the western coast).

Laurence Claxton: …religious sect known as the Ranters.

Sawai Madhopur: Ranthambore National Park, a short distance east of the city, is a tiger reserve and also contains Ranthambore Fort, one of several Rajput forts in the state collectively designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2013. Pop. (2001) 97,493; (2011) 121,106.

Rantoul, village, Champaign county, east-central Illinois, U.S. It lies about 15 miles (25 km) north of Urbana. Settled with the arrival of the Illinois Central Railroad in 1854, it was named for Robert Rantoul, a director of the railroad. For much of the 20th century the economy was largely

Johan Rantzau was a hero of the Count’s War (1533–36), the Danish civil war that brought King Christian III to the throne. In 1523, as the youthful prefect of Gottorp and adviser to Duke Frederick of Holstein, Rantzau persuaded Frederick to accept the offer of the Danish throne from the nobles who

Ranulf de Blundeville, 6th earl of Chester was the most celebrated of the early earls of Chester, with whom the family fortunes reached their peak. Ranulf succeeded his father Hugh de Kevelioc (1147–81), son of Ranulf, the 4th earl, in 1181 and was created Earl of Lincoln in 1217. He married

Ranulf de Glanville was the justiciar or chief minister of England (1180–89) under King Henry II who was the reputed author of the first authoritative text on the common law, Tractatus de legibus et consuetudinibus regni Angliae (c. 1188; “Treatise on the Laws and Customs of the Kingdom of

Ranulf de Glanville was the justiciar or chief minister of England (1180–89) under King Henry II who was the reputed author of the first authoritative text on the common law, Tractatus de legibus et consuetudinibus regni Angliae (c. 1188; “Treatise on the Laws and Customs of the Kingdom of

Ranulf Higden was an English monk and chronicler remembered for his Polychronicon, a compilation of much of the knowledge of his age. After taking monastic vows in 1299, Higden entered the Abbey of St. Werburgh, a Benedictine community in Chester. His Polychronicon was a universal history from the

Ranunculaceae, the buttercup family (order Ranunculales), comprising about 2,252 species in 62 genera of flowering plants, mostly herbs, which are widely distributed in all temperate and subtropical regions. In the tropics they occur mostly at high elevations. The leaves are usually alternate and

Ranunculales, the buttercup order of flowering plants, containing 7 families, nearly 164 genera, and around 2,830 species. Members of the order range from annual and perennial herbs to herbaceous or woody vines, shrubs, and, in a few cases, trees. They include many ornamentals which are grown in

buttercup, (genus Ranunculus), genus of about 300 species of herbaceous flowering plants in the family Ranunculaceae. Buttercups are distributed throughout the world and are especially common in woods and fields of the north temperate zone. Most buttercups have tuberous or fibrous roots. The

wildflower: …best-known buttercups of northern Europe, Ranunculus acris, probably became more abundant and widespread as the forests were burned away. In the lowlands of northern Europe, this species probably became modified during the Stone Age into some new forms better adapted to habitats created by human actions. Two forms occurring in…

buttercup: Major species: peltatus) and the common water crowfoot (R. aquatilis) have broad floating leaves and finely dissected submerged leaves.

buttercup: Major species: The Persian buttercup (Ranunculus asiaticus) is the florist’s ranunculus. Among the many wild species are the tall meadow buttercup (R. acris), native to Eurasia but widely introduced elsewhere; the swamp buttercup (R. hispidis) of eastern North American wetlands; and the Eurasian creeping

Ranunculaceae, the buttercup family (order Ranunculales), comprising about 2,252 species in 62 genera of flowering plants, mostly herbs, which are widely distributed in all temperate and subtropical regions. In the tropics they occur mostly at high elevations. The leaves are usually alternate and

celandine: The lesser celandine, or pilewort (Ranunculus ficaria), is a member of the buttercup family (Ranunculaceae). It has heart-shaped leaves and typical buttercup flowers. Native to Europe, it has become naturalized in North America.

buttercup: Major species: Both the pond crowfoot (R. peltatus) and the common water crowfoot (R. aquatilis) have broad floating leaves and finely dissected submerged leaves.

buttercup: Major species: …North American wetlands; and the Eurasian creeping buttercup, or butter daisy (R. repens), widely naturalized in America. Both the pond crowfoot (R. peltatus) and the common water crowfoot (R. aquatilis) have broad floating leaves and finely dissected submerged leaves.

buttercup: Major species: … but widely introduced elsewhere; the swamp buttercup (R. hispidis) of eastern North American wetlands; and the Eurasian creeping buttercup, or butter daisy (R. repens), widely naturalized in America. Both the pond crowfoot (R. peltatus) and the common water crowfoot (R. aquatilis) have broad floating leaves and finely dissected

Louis-Antoine Ranvier: …that are now known as Ranvier’s tactile disks. With the French bacteriologist André-Victor Cornil he wrote Manual of Pathological Histology (1869), considered a landmark of 19th-century medicine.

Louis-Antoine Ranvier was a French histologist and pathologist whose dynamic approach to the study of minute anatomy made his laboratories a world centre for students of histology and contributed especially to knowledge of nervous structure and function. Assistant to the eminent French physiologist

node of Ranvier, periodic gap in the insulating sheath (myelin) on the axon of certain neurons that serves to facilitate the rapid conduction of nerve impulses. These interruptions in the myelin covering were first discovered in 1878 by French histologist and pathologist Louis-Antoine Ranvier, who

Swiss literature: …was achieved by the various ranz des vaches (melodies sung, or played on the alphorn, by herdsmen).

mola: However, the slender mola (Ranzania laevis) is smaller, measuring no more than 1 metre (39.3 inches) long.

Inception: …(Tom Hardy), chemist Yusuf (Dileep Rao), and “architect” Ariadne (Ellen Page), who is in charge of creating the dreamscapes the team will occupy. In order to plant the idea, Cobb and his crew must descend through several layers of dreaming to penetrate the target’s subconscious. In the process, however,…

Telangana: History of Telangana: K. Chandrasekhar Rao, leader of the TRS, was named the state’s first chief minister. On June 2, 2024, Hyderabad ceased to be the capital of Andhra Pradesh, as agreed. On June 11, 2024, a day before Chandrababu Naidu was sworn in as the chief minister…

P.V. Narasimha Rao was a leader of the Congress (I) Party faction of the Indian National Congress (Congress Party) and prime minister of India from 1991 to 1996. Widely recognized for his efforts to liberalize the Indian economy in the early 1990’s, Rao was conferred the Bharat Ratna, India’s

P.V. Narasimha Rao was a leader of the Congress (I) Party faction of the Indian National Congress (Congress Party) and prime minister of India from 1991 to 1996. Widely recognized for his efforts to liberalize the Indian economy in the early 1990’s, Rao was conferred the Bharat Ratna, India’s

South Asian arts: Folk theatre: Another famous singer-poet was Patthe Bapu Rao (1868–1941), a Brahman who married a beautiful low-caste dancer, Pawala. They were the biggest tamasha stars during the first quarter of the 20th century. The tamasha actress, commonly called the nautchi (meaning “nautch girl,” or “prostitute”) is the life and soul of…

Raja Rao was an author who was among the most significant Indian novelists writing in English during the middle decades of the 20th century. Descended from a distinguished Brahman family in southern India, Rao studied English at Nizam College, Hyderabad, and then at the University of Madras, where

Kermadec Islands: Raoul enjoys a mild climate and receives 57 in. (1,450 mm) of rainfall annually, some of which forms lagoons. Lying at the western edge of the Kermadec Trench, the group is frequently shaken by earth tremors.

Rudolf was the duke of Burgundy (921–936) and later king of the West Franks, or France (923–936), who, after a stormy career typical of the general political instability that characterized the age, succeeded in consolidating his authority shortly before he died. Rudolf was the son-in-law of Robert

Raoul de Houdenc was a French trouvère poet-musician of courtly romances, credited with writing one of the first French romances, told in an ornate, allegorical style. Little is known of Raoul’s life. His name could have originated from a dozen cities. Certain passages in his writings suggest that

Raoul de Houdenc was a French trouvère poet-musician of courtly romances, credited with writing one of the first French romances, told in an ornate, allegorical style. Little is known of Raoul’s life. His name could have originated from a dozen cities. Certain passages in his writings suggest that

France: Culture and art: …learned and vernacular cultures narrowed: Raoul de Presles translated St. Augustine; Nicolas Oresme translated Aristotle. Christine de Pisan (1364–c. 1430) challenged traditional assertions of women’s inferiority, incorporated in texts such as the Roman de la Rose (The Romance of the Rose), the most popular literary work of the 13th century.…

ideal solution: …statement of this condition is Raoult’s law, which is valid for many highly dilute solutions and for a limited class of concentrated solutions, namely, those in which the interactions between the molecules of solute and solvent are the same as those between the molecules of each substance by itself. Solutions…

François-Marie Raoult was a French chemist who formulated a law on solutions (called Raoult’s law) that made it possible to determine the molecular weights of dissolved substances. Raoult taught at the University of Grenoble from 1867 and was professor there from 1870 until his death. About 1886 he

rap, musical style in which rhythmic and/or rhyming speech is chanted (“rapped”) to musical accompaniment. This backing music, which can include digital sampling (music and sounds extracted from other recordings), is also called hip-hop, the name used to refer to a broader cultural movement that

Elf Aquitaine: In 1939 the Régie Autonome des Pétroles (RAP; “Autonomous Petroleum Administration”) was set up to exploit a gas deposit found near Saint-Marcet in the foothills of the Pyrenees, and in 1941 the Société Nationale des Pétroles d’Aquitaine (SNPA; “National Society for Petroleum in Aquitaine”) was founded to explore…

rap metal, subgenre of heavy metal music. Heavy metal tended to be one of rock’s most porous genres, influencing (and in turn being influenced by) such disparate sounds as psychedelic, glam, punk, and alternative rock. Rap metal (and the related genre, nu metal) represented a fusion of heavy metal

rap, musical style in which rhythmic and/or rhyming speech is chanted (“rapped”) to musical accompaniment. This backing music, which can include digital sampling (music and sounds extracted from other recordings), is also called hip-hop, the name used to refer to a broader cultural movement that

Margaret Mead: Work and impact: …Continuities in Cultural Evolution (1964); A Rap on Race (1971, with James Baldwin); Male and Female: A Study of the Sexes in a Changing World (1949 ); Anthropology: A Human Science (1964); Culture and Commitment (1970); Ruth Benedict (1974), a biography of that anthropologist; and Blackberry Winter (1972), an autobiography…

Issa Rae: A Black Lady Sketch Show and Rap Sh!t: …Insecure was the television series Rap Sh!t, which premiered in 2022. It centers on a pair of female rappers as they try to make it in Miami. In addition to creating the series, Rae serves as an executive producer and a writer. The show was renewed for a second season,…

Tubuai Islands: …square miles [16 square km]), Rapa (15 square miles [39 square km]), Rimatara, (3 square miles [8 square km]), Rurutu (11 square miles [29 square km]), and Tubuai (18 square miles [47 square km])—as well as the tiny, uninhabited Marotiri Islands at the southern end of the chain, and Maria…

Easter Island, Chilean dependency in the eastern Pacific Ocean. It is the easternmost outpost of the Polynesian island world. It is famous for its giant stone statues. The island stands in isolation 1,200 miles (1,900 km) east of Pitcairn Island and 2,200 miles (3,540 km) west of Chile. Forming a

Noomi Rapace is a Swedish actress who was best known for portraying Lisbeth Salander in film adaptations of Stieg Larsson’s Millennium trilogy of crime novels. Norén was the daughter of a Swedish actress and a Spanish flamenco singer. As a young child she lived with her mother and stepfather in

Noomi Rapace: …married (divorced 2011) the actor Ola Rapace, who later costarred with her in Svinalängorna (2010; Beyond), in which she portrayed a woman who must come to terms with her past as the abused daughter of alcoholic parents. Notable among Rapace’s other movies was the bleak Danish picture Daisy Diamond (2007),…

20th-century international relations: Soviet diplomatic offensive: NATO leaders resisted the Rapacki Plan but had immediately to deal with a March 1958 Soviet offer to suspend all nuclear testing provided the West did the same. Throughout the 1950s growing data on the harmful effects of nuclear fallout had been increasing pressure on the nuclear powers to…

Adam Rapacki was a Polish socialist who joined the communists after World War II and who, as minister of foreign affairs, was noted for his “Rapacki Plan” for an atom-bomb-free zone in Europe. Son of Marian Rapacki, founder of the cooperative movement in Poland, Rapacki studied in France and Italy

Precambrian: Orogenic belts: …by tin-bearing crustal-melt granites, called rapakivi granites after their coarse, zoned feldspar megacrysts (that is, crystals that are significantly larger than the surrounding fine-grained matrix). The rocks in this zone probably formed as a result of mantle plume activity.

Rapallo, city, Genova provincia, Liguria regione, northwestern Italy, on the Levante Riviera at the head of Rapallo Gulf, southeast of Genoa. First mentioned in 964, Rapallo was sacked successively by the Lombards, Normans, and Swiss. It was the site of the Allied Conference of Rapallo in 1917, and

Treaty of Rapallo, (April 16, 1922) treaty between Germany and the Soviet Union, signed at Rapallo, Italy. Negotiated by Germany’s Walther Rathenau and the Soviet Union’s Georgy V. Chicherin, it reestablished normal relations between the two nations. The nations agreed to cancel all financial

rapamycin, drug characterized primarily by its ability to suppress the immune system, which led to its use in the prevention of transplant rejection. Rapamycin is produced by the soil bacterium Streptomyces hygroscopicus. The drug’s name comes from Rapa Nui, the indigenous name of Easter Island,

Clean Water Act: …the Court’s plurality opinion in Rapanos v. United States [2006]) that would significantly reduce the number of wetlands that the EPA could protect.

rape, unlawful sexual activity, most often involving sexual intercourse, against the will of the victim through force or the threat of force or with an individual who is incapable of giving legal consent because of minor status, mental illness, mental deficiency, intoxication, unconsciousness, or

rapeseed, (Brassica napus, variety napus), plant of the mustard family (Brassicaceae) grown for its seeds, which yield canola, or rapeseed, oil. Canola oil is variously used in cooking, as an ingredient in soap and margarine, and as a lamp fuel (colza oil). The esterified form of the oil is used as

Nirvana: …as “All Apologies” and “Rape Me”—reached number one on the U.S. album charts. By this point, however, Cobain’s heroin use was out of control. After a reputed suicide attempt in Rome in March 1994, he entered a Los Angeles treatment centre. In a mysterious sequence of events, he returned…

Albrecht Dürer: First journey to Italy: …figure of Hercules from Pollaiuolo’s The Rape of Deianira for his painting Hercules and the Birds of Stymphalis. A purely mythological painting in the Renaissance tradition, Hercules is exceptional among Dürer’s works. The centre panel from the Dresden Altarpiece, which Dürer painted in about 1498, is stylistically similar to Hercules…

Colluthus of Lycopolis: …by only one extant poem, The Rape of Helen (which was discovered in Calabria, Italy). The short poem (394 verses) is in imitation of Homer and Nonnus and tells the story of Paris and Helen from the wedding of Peleus and Thetis down to Helen’s arrival at Troy. According to…

William Shakespeare: The poems of William Shakespeare: Venus and Adonis (1593) and The Rape of Lucrece (1594) are the only works that Shakespeare seems to have shepherded through the printing process. Both owe a good deal to Ovid, the Classical poet whose writings Shakespeare encountered repeatedly in school. These two poems are the only works for which…

Benjamin Britten: His later operas include The Rape of Lucretia (1946); the comic Albert Herring (1947); Billy Budd (1951; after Herman Melville); Gloriana (1953; written for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II); The Turn of the Screw (1954; after Henry James); A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1960); Owen Wingrave (television, 1971); and…

François Girardon: …Goujon’s Fontaine des Innocents, and The Rape of Persephone (1677–79; pedestal completed 1699), in which he challenges comparison with Giambologna’s Rape of the Sabines. The effect of this group is marred by its present situation in the centre of the colonnade at Versailles, where it can be seen from all…