Forty members, or immortals, make up the Academy—there’s a complicated procedure for being appointed plus an official uniform—and they serve for life (unless dismissed because of grave misconduct). Over the centuries, twenty members have been expelled: one for theft and others for their association with the Vichy regime during WWII. Famous and notable members have included Voltaire, Victor Hugo, Louis Pasteur, Dumas, and Valery Giscard d’Estaing (a former French president, the only one still living). Of the 708 total immortals since 1635, only four have been women.Since it regards its mission to “protect” the purity of the beautiful French language and tries to prevent adopting American words (like "computer" or "walkman"), there is NO choice to see the website (www.academie-francaise.fr/) in English, of course.
The building in which the Academie francaise (one of five academies) is located is called the Institute of France. It used to be a boarding school for boys set up by Cardinal Mazarin, the man mentored by Cardinal Richelieu. He became the Prime Minister of France upon Richelieu’s death and essentially ruled France behind the scenes when the child, Louis XIV, succeeded his father (King Louis XIII) to the throne.
PS - A note about the Pont des Arts (bridge). It is a gathering point for tourists and locals alike, especially the younger, hipper, university-age set. It's a great place to have a picnic (with wine, bien sur), listen to some young guitarist busking for a few euros, or watch the twinkling lights of the Eiffel Tower for the first ten minutes of each hour through the evening.
