Correspondence
Models of Letter-Writing from the Middle Ages to the Ninteenth Century
In this book Roger Chartier and his associates explore the history
of a cultural practice that has become common and widespread: the
writing of letters.
They begin by examining the invention of norms for writing
letters in the Middle Ages, and the fixing of these norms in
popular manuals of various kinds. They then analyse the
letter-writing models developed in the ancien régime, showing
how these models were linked to court literature, on the one hand,
and to the popular books distributed by pedlars, on the other.
Finally they discuss the models of letter-writing developed during
the nineteenth century. The nineteenth century, they argue, was a
decisive period in the history of letter writing, partly because of
the rapid rise in rates of literacy and partly due to broader
social and economic transformations, which increased the need for
writing letters.
By exploring the ways in which practices of letter writing have
changed over the centuries, this path-breaking book sheds light on
an everyday cultural practice which has created new ways of
thinking, of feeling and of relating to others as well as to
oneself.
1. The letter-writing norm, a mediaeval invention (Alain
Boureau).
2. Secrétaires for the people? Model letters of the
ancien régime between court literature and popular chapbook
(Roger Chartier).
3. Letter-writing manuals in the nineteenth century (Cecile
Dauphin).
Index.
this work is exceptionally brilliant and convincing. The "how to"
books for letter writing have never been so boldly and learnedly
scrutinized in their totality before. Chartier has done it again -
with the inspired collaboration of Alain Boureau and Cecile
Dauphin."
--Orest Ranum, Johns Hopkins University
