Raleigh, Walter, Sir, 1552?-1618

Knighted by Queen Elizabeth, Sir Walter Raleigh was an author, explorer, and statesman. Although Sir Walter was a favorite of the Queen, he was accused of treason by her successor, James I, making Sir Walter a controversial figure during his lifetime. Sir Walter's writing addresses the Queen's betrayal in allowing his imprisonment, as well as endeavors to disprove the charges of atheism brought against him.

Radcliffe, Ann Ward, 1764-1823

The foremost author in the development of the Gothic novel, Radcliffe also produced a travel narrative, A Journey Made in the Summer of 1794, through Holland and the Western Frontier of Germany, with a Return Down the Rhine (1795), which features the same proficiency in natural description that delighted readers of her fiction.

Racine, Jean, 1639-1699

French dramatist, poet, and historiographer best known for his mastery of the French classical tragedy, particularly through his adept use of the alexandrine line, a prominent feature of the poetic meter of seventeenth century French tragedy. He is also renowned for his characters, crafted through the Racinian view of humanity as driven by a need for acceptance in order to compensate for consuming feelings of inadequacy.