Gaston Bruno Paulin Paris

Born in Avenay, France, on August 9, 1839, Gaston Paris grew up in a literary world: his father, Paulin Paris, was also a noted scholar of medieval French texts. After studying in Germany and at the École des Chartes in Paris, he built a career around the language and literature of the Middle Ages.

He later succeeded his father at the Collège de France, where he taught medieval French literature, and he became one of the central figures in Romance philology. He also helped found important scholarly journals and was elected to both the Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres and the Académie française.

Best remembered for his studies of medieval French poetry, legend, and narrative tradition, he brought careful historical method to subjects that had often been treated more romantically than critically. He died in Cannes on March 5, 1903, leaving a lasting influence on the study of medieval literature.