Pléiade

Pléiade is a name used in French culture to refer to several things, all derived from the Pleiades star cluster in Greek mythology.

In astronomy, les Pléiades (The Pleiades) is an open star cluster located in the constellation Taurus. Visible to the naked eye, it lies about 440 light-years from Earth and is estimated to be around 100 million years old. The cluster contains hundreds of stars, among them bright members such as Maia, Electra, and Alcyone. It has long figured in many cultures and serves as a common object of astronomical study for distance measurement and star formation.

In literature, La Pléiade denotes a prominent group of French Renaissance poets associated with the late 16th century, notably Joachim du Bellay and Pierre de Ronsard. Working between roughly 1549 and 1570, the Pléiade sought to elevate the French language by imitating classical models from Greek and Latin poetry and by enriching French diction. Other members included Pontus de Tyard, Étienne Jodelle, Rémy Belleau and Antoine de Baïf. The movement helped establish a national poetic tradition and influenced later French literature.

Bibliothèque de la Pléiade is a prestigious series of scholarly editions published by Gallimard since 1931. These compact, high-quality editions present major literary works with extensive introductions, notes, and textual variants, and they remain widely used in libraries and scholarly research. The series covers French and translated authors and is known for its careful editorial standards.