raisonneur (rez-uh-NUR) noun

   A character in a play, novel, or the like who voices the central theme,
   philosophy, or point of view of the work.

[From French: literally, one who reasons or argues, equivalent to
raisonn(er) to reason, argue + -eur.]

   "The Fool in King Lear is the apotheosis of the ironic commentator, the
   raisonneur who sees through the world's follies and the blunders of its
   leaders."
   A Clown is not a Fool, The New Straits Times, Jul 8, 1998.

This week's theme: words from the world of literature.

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He who would travel happily must travel light. -Antoine de Saint-Exupery,
author and aviator (1900-1945)

Q: Some time ago you featured a quote about foo in AWAD. Could you resend it?
A: You may search the archives at http://wordsmith.org/awad/search.html
   or browse them at http://wordsmith.org/awad/archives.html All the
   words and quotes since the beginning of AWAD are available there.

Pronunciation:
http://wordsmith.org/words/raisonneur.wav
http://wordsmith.org/words/raisonneur.ram