folk psychology Ways of conceptualizing mind and the mental that are implicit in our ordinary, everyday attributions of mental states to our¬ selves and others. Philosophers have adopted different positions about the extent to which folk psychology and its generalizations (e.g., those por¬ traying human actions as governed by intention) are supported by the findings of scientific psychology. Some consider it indispensible to under¬ standing human conduct. Others (“eliminative materialists”) think that it can and perhaps will be replaced by scientific psychology.
folklore Oral literature and popular tradition preserved among a people. It may take the form of fairy tales, ballads, epics, proverbs, and riddles. Stud¬ ies of folklore began in the early 19th century and first focused on rural folk and others believed to be untouched by modern ways. Several aims can be identified. One was to trace archaic customs and beliefs. In Ger¬ many Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm published their classic collection of fairy tales in 1812. James George Frazer’s The Golden Bough (1890) reflects the use of folklore as a tool to reconstruct ancient beliefs and rituals. Another motive for the study of folklore was nationalism, which reinforced eth¬ nic identity and figured in struggles for political independence. The cata¬ log of motifs of folktales and myths developed by Antti Aarne and Stith Thompson encouraged comparisons of variants of the same tale or other item from different regions and times. In the mid-20th century, new trends emerged. Any group that expressed its inner cohesion by maintaining shared traditions qualified as a “folk,” whether the linking factor be occu¬ pation, language, place of residence, age, religion, or ethnic origin. Emphasis also shifted from the past to the present, from the search for origins to the investigation of present meaning and function. Change and adaptation within tradition were no longer necessarily regarded as cor¬ ruptive.
folly In architecture, an eccentric, generally nonfunctional (and often deliberately unfinished) structure erected to enhance a romantic land¬ scape. Follies were particularly in vogue in England in the 18th and early 19th century. They might resemble medieval towers, ruined castles over¬ grown with vines, or crumbling Classical temples complete with fallen, eroded columns. In the U.S., the term has been applied to ornate gazebos. It may also be applied to any unusual building that is extravagant or whimsical in style.
Folsom complex Prehistoric culture of North America on the eastern side of the Rocky Mountains that is known from stone tools. It is char¬ acterized by leaf-shaped flint projectile points having a concave base with side projections and a longitudinal groove on each face. The complex was first identified at Folsom, N.M., U.S. It includes a variety of scrapers, knives, and blades and is generally dated to 8000-9000 bc. Like the ear¬ lier Clovis complex, it is considered to be part of a Paleo-Indian big-game hunting tradition.
Fon \'fan\ People of southern Benin and adjacent parts of Togo. They speak a dialect of Gbe, a Kwa language of the Niger-Congo language family. Numbering about 3 million, the Fon are mainly farmers. Craft specialists include male ironworkers, sculptors, and weavers and female potters. The primary Fon social unit is the polygynous family, each woman and her children occupying a house within a compound. The vil¬ lage under a hereditary chief is the traditional political unit. Dahomey kingdom was peopled principally by Fon. See photo above.
Fonda, Henry (Jaynes) (b.
May 16, 1905, Grand Island, Neb., U.S.—d. Aug. 12, 1982, Los Ange¬ les, Calif.) U.S. actor. He achieved success on Broadway in The Farmer Takes a Wife (1934), which led him to Hollywood for the film version (1935). He portrayed thoughtful men of integrity in films such as Young Mr. Lincoln (1939), The Grapes of Wrath (1940), and The Ox-Bow Inci¬ dent (1943). He also made comedies such as The Lady Eve (1941) and The Male Animal (1942). He returned to the stage in Mister Roberts (1948, Tony Award; film, 1955). His last film, On Golden Pond (1981, Acad¬ emy Award), also starred his daugh¬ ter Jane Fonda. His son, Peter (b. 1939), also achieved fame as a screen actor.
Fonda, Jane (Seymour) (b.
Dec. 21, 1937, New York, N.Y., U.S.) U.S. film actress, political activist, and fitness enthusiast. The daughter of actor Henry Fonda, she made her film debut in Tall Story (1960), which began a career that took dizzying turns. After playing comic roles in such films as Cat Bal¬ lou (1965) and Barefoot in the Park (1967), she appeared as a sex kitten in husband Roger Vadim’s (married 1965-73) futuristic Barbarella (1968). She then plunged into leftist political activity, marrying the activ¬ ist Tom Hayden (married 1973-89) and loudly condemning the Vietnam War, and made socially conscious films including They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? (1969), Klute (1971, Academy Award), and Coming Home (1978, Academy Award). She later marketed a series of hugely popular exercise books and videotapes. After marrying Ted Turner in 1991 (divorced 2001), she retired from the screen.
Fonseca \f6n-'sa-ko\, Gulf of Inlet of the Pacific Ocean, Central America. Bounded by El Salvador to the northwest, Honduras to the northeast, and Nicaragua to the southeast, it reaches inland about 40 mi (65 km) and widens to about 50 mi (80 km). Its entrance, marked by Cape Amapala in El Salvador and Cape Cosiguina in Nicaragua, is about 20 mi (32 km) across. The shores are covered by mangrove swamps except where Conchagua Volcano rises sharply in the west.
font or typeface or type family Assortment or set of type (alpha¬ numeric characters used for printing), all of one coherent style. Before the advent of computers, fonts were expressed in cast metal that was used as a template for printing. Fonts are now stored as digitized images that can be scaled and otherwise modified for printing on electronic printers or digital photo typesetters. Fonts typically include the normal typeface (roman) as well as italic, bold, bold italic, and sometimes extra-bold ver¬ sions. See also typesetting, typography. See illustration opposite on follow¬ ing page.
Fontaine, Jean de La See Jean de La Fontaine
Fontainebleau \fo n -ten-'blo\ Chateau in northern France, southeast of the town of Fontainebleau. One of the largest structures built by the kings of France, it was originally a medieval hunting lodge, but was rebuilt (from 1528) under Francis I. Its numerous renovations show the transition from early Renaissance to Mannerist (Late Renaissance) styles. The cha¬ teau is a succession of five courts of different shapes. Of particular inter¬ est is the Gallery of Francis I (c. 1533-45), a long, narrow room decorated with stucco relief sculpture and painting by Rosso Fiorentino.
Fontainebleau, school of French and foreign artists associated with the court at Fontainebleau in the 16th century. In 1528 Francis I began to rebuild the palace and hired Rosso Fiorentino and Francesco Primaticcio to produce the mural decoration, stuccowork, and sculptural reliefs; also
Iron statue of the god of arms and war, made by the Fon of Benin, in the Musee de I'Homme, Paris
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