Show duties of trao the 1 reach academy the academic F francaise ran caise was founded by cardinal richelieu in 1635 lived long enough to snub corneille Co and moliere was abolished in 1793 was revived vav ed two years later and made a useful body by y napoleon in 1803 1603 since then it has been a part of the institute of france it elects its own members who are now known as the forty immortals its duties are to preserve the purity of the french language to encourage and preserve french literature and to distribute several queer prizes such for instance as two thousand dollars each year to that member of the working class who has performed the most virtuous action of the year and three hundred dollars every other year to the rising genius who is considered to be most in need of and most worthy of encouragement the members are supposed to meet twice a week and are paid three dollars and eighty seven cents a napoleon for every meeting they attend they receive besides a salary of three hundred and sixty sisty dollars a year zola who has been rejected some six ox or seven times holds to the tradition that membership in the academy is the highest literary honor that can be bestowed upon a frenchman |