Cixous \sek-'zus\, Helene (b. June 5, 1937, Oran, Alg.) Algerian-born French feminist critic, novelist, and playwright. She was reared in Alg¬ iers and has taught principally at the University of Paris. Her essays, in collections such as The Newly Born Woman (1975; with Catherine Cle¬ ment), explore issues of sexual difference and female experience in writ¬ ing. The Book of Promethea (1983) and other works reinterpret myths and the mythic past and analyze Western representations of women. Her nov¬ els include Inside (1969), Reading with Clarice Lispector (1989), and Osnabriick (1999).
Cizin \ke-'sen\ Mayan god of earthquakes and death. He may have rep¬ resented one aspect of a malevolent underworld deity known by various names and in various guises. In Mayan manuscripts, he was depicted with the god of war in scenes of human sacrifice; he was also depicted as a dancing skeleton. His death collar was adorned with eyeballs dangling by their nerve cords. After the Spanish Conquest, he merged with the Chris¬ tian devil, Satan.
Claiborne, William (b. c. 1587, Westmorland County, Eng.—d. c. 1677, Virginia) American colonial trader and public official. Emigrating to Virginia in 1621, he was appointed secretary of state of the colony and a member of the governor’s royal council. He traded with the Indians of Chesapeake Bay and in 1631 established a successful trading post on Kent Island. Denied his claim to the island, he incited a revolt (1644) that ousted the Maryland governor and left Claiborne in charge of the colony until 1646. From 1652 to 1657 he was a member of the commission that gov¬ erned Maryland.
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412 I Clair ► Clarendon Code
Clair, Rene orig. Rene-Lucien Chomette (b. Nov. 11, 1898, Paris, France—d. March 15,1981, Neuilly- sur-Seine) French film director. He acted in silent films from 1920 until 1923, when he wrote and directed Paris qui dort. That film, along with Entr’acte (1924) and the satiric farce The Italian Straw Hat (1927), estab¬ lished his reputation as a leader of the avant-garde. He used sound cre¬ atively in early talkies such as Sous les toits de Paris (1930) and A nous la liberte! (1931). The Ghost Goes West (1935), made in England, was an international success. During World War 11 he directed several Hollywood films, including And Then There Were None (1945), then returned to France to make Le Silence est d’or (1947) and Les Belles de nuit (1952).
clam In general, any bivalve mollusk.
True clams, in the strict sense, have equal shells, closed by two opposing muscles, and a powerful, muscular, burrowing foot. They usually lie bur¬ ied in the sand in shallow marine waters. Clams draw in and expel water for respiration and feeding through two tubes, the siphons. Spe¬ cies range in size from 0.004 in. to 4 ft (0.1 mm-1.2 m) across. Many spe¬ cies are edible, including the coquina clam, geoduck, quahog, and soft-shell clam.
clan Kinship group based on actual or purported descent from a common ancestor, as traced through the male (patrician) or the female (matriclan) line. Clans are normally exogamous, marriage within the clan being regarded as incest. Clans may segment into subclans or lineages, and genealogical records and myths may be altered to incorporate new mem¬ bers who lack kinship ties with the clan. Clan membership may be useful in ensuring mutual support and defense as well as in the mediation of disputes over property rights and the mode of residence after marriage. Some clans express their unity by means of a common emblem. See also EXOGAMY AND ENDOGAMY.
Clancy, Tom orig. Thomas Clancy (b. March 12, 1947, Baltimore, Md., U.S.) U.S. novelist. Clancy worked as an insurance agent before beginning his writing career. His first novel was the surprise best-seller The Hunt for Red October (1984; film, 1990), which virtually created the “technothriller” genre, suspenseful novels that rely on extensive knowl¬ edge of military technology and espionage. Later successes include Red Storm Rising (1986), Patriot Games (1987; film, 1992), Clear and Present Danger (1989; film, 1994), Sum of All Fears (1991; film, 2000), and The Bear and the Dragon (2000).
clapboard Vkla-bardX Narrow board tapered toward one edge, used as siding to cover the exterior of a framed building. Clapboards are attached horizontally, each overlapping the next one down. Cleft oak clapboard was introduced to New England in the 17th century; later materials included pine, cypress, and cedar.
claque \'klak\ Group of people hired to clap (French, claquer) and show approval in order to influence a theatre audience. The claque dates from ancient times. Comedy competitions in Athens were often won by con¬ testants who infiltrated audiences with paid supporters. The practice was widespread in Rome, where the emperor Nero established a school of applause. In 19th-century France most theatres had specialized claques: rieurs laughed loudly at comedies, pleureuses wept at melodramas, and bisseurs shouted for encores. The practice persists today in the operatic world.
Clare County (pop., 1996: 94,006), western Ireland. Bordered by the River Shannon and the Atlantic Ocean, it is located in the province of Munster, and its county seat is Ennis. It has peat- and bog-covered hills,
plateaus, lowlands, and limestone areas. Chief crops are oats and pota¬ toes; livestock raising and fishing also are important. Evidence of prehis¬ toric settlement includes many megaliths and some 2,000 fortified enclosures. There are numerous early Christian sites. The region remained under the lordship of the O’Briens until the 16th century despite Anglo- Norman colonization in the 12th century. It was made a shire in the reign of Elizabeth I. In 1828 Daniel O'Connell won the election in Clare that led to the emancipation of Catholics in Ireland.
Clare, John (b. July 13, 1793, Helpston, near Peterborough, Northamp¬ tonshire, Eng.—d. May 20, 1864, Northampton, Northamptonshire) Brit¬ ish poet. Clare grew up in extreme rural poverty, with little access to books, but he had a prodigious memory and absorbed folk ballads. His Poems Descriptive of Rural Life and Scenery (1820) brought a short period of celebrity, but later volumes, including The Shepherd’s Calendar (1827) and The Rural Muse (1835), sold poorly. Suffering from penury and poor health, he fell prey to delusions and was placed in an asylum in 1837. After four years he briefly escaped; certified insane, he spent his final 23 years in another asylum, where he wrote some of his most lucid, lyrical poetry.
Clare of Assisi, Saint (b. July 16, 1194, Assisi, duchy of Spoleto—d. Aug. 11, 1253, Assisi; canonized 1255; feast day August 11) Founder of the order of Poor Clares (Clarissines). Born to a noble family, she became devoted to her fellow Assisian St. Francis. She refused to marry and in 1212 fled to the Porziuncola Chapel, where St. Francis received her vows. She later became abbess of a female religious community that included her sister, St. Agnes, and her mother. Her order, the Second Order of St. Francis, or Poor Clares, adopted the absolute poverty of St. Francis but was strictly cloistered, unlike its counterpart, the Franciscans. Still allied with the Franciscans, the Poor Clares are noted for their poverty and their life of penitential prayer led for the good of church and society.
Claremont Colleges Consortium of private colleges in Claremont, California, U.S. It comprises Pomona College (founded 1887), the Cla¬ remont Graduate School (1925), Scripps College (1926), Claremont Mc¬ Kenna College (1946), Harvey Mudd College (1955), and Pitzer College (1963). Each offers a broad range of degree programs, and they share a high academic reputation. The campuses are adjacent to one another and many facilities are shared.