The following sections of this BookRags Literature Study Guide is offprint from Gale's For Students Series: Presenting Analysis, Context, and Criticism on Commonly Studied Works: Introduction, Author Biography, Plot Summary, Characters, Themes, Style, Historical Context, Critical Overview, Criticism and Critical Essays, Media Adaptations, Topics for Further Study, Compare & Contrast, What Do I Read Next?, For Further Study, and Sources.
(c)1998-2002; (c)2002 by Gale. Gale is an imprint of The Gale Group, Inc., a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. Gale and Design and Thomson Learning are trademarks used herein under license.
The following sections, if they exist, are offprint from Beacham's Encyclopedia of Popular Fiction: "Social Concerns", "Thematic Overview", "Techniques", "Literary Precedents", "Key Questions", "Related Titles", "Adaptations", "Related Web Sites". (c)1994-2005, by Walton Beacham.
The following sections, if they exist, are offprint from Beacham's Guide to Literature for Young Adults: "About the Author", "Overview", "Setting", "Literary Qualities", "Social Sensitivity", "Topics for Discussion", "Ideas for Reports and Papers". (c)1994-2005, by Walton Beacham.
All other sections in this Literature Study Guide are owned and copyrighted by BookRags, Inc.
1763-1805
French engineer and former priest who invented the first mechanical optical telegraph, or semaphore. During the French Revolution, Chappe proposed a visual signaling line between Paris and Lille, near the frontlines of battle. The idea was to transmit messages using light between distant points. Chappe's brother, a member of the Legislative Assembly, strongly supported the concept. With the assembly's backing, the two constructed a series of hilltop towers equipped with a pair of telescopes, each pointed in a different direction, and a semaphore with adjustable arms that could assume seven clearly visible angular positions. The device was capable of displaying 49 combinations that were assigned to the alphabet and a number of other symbols. Using this system, it only took 2 to 6 minutes to transfer a message, whereas riding couriers would have needed 30 hours.