New Books in Early Modern History cover image

New Books in Early Modern History

Robert Darnton, “A Literary Tour de France: The World of Books on the Eve of the French Revolution” (Oxford UP, 2018)

Mar 15, 2018
Robert Darnton, scholar of the trade of books on the eve of the French Revolution, discusses his new book which explores the history of book distribution in France. The podcast covers topics such as the challenges of travel in the eighteenth century, smuggling and piracy of books, and the demand for literature on the eve of the French Revolution.
01:00:59

Episode guests

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

  • Literature before the French Revolution reflected a tendency to criticize abuses of power and injustices in society, shaping attitudes and predisposing people to embrace change.
  • Women played significant roles in the book trade in 18th-century France as widows inherited businesses and took over operations, providing insights into the social history of ordinary people.

Deep dives

The Demand for Literature on the Eve of the Revolution

The book explores the demand for literature in France before the revolution by looking at the types of books that were popular. The bestsellers included philosophical books, scandalous accounts of the private lives of nobility, travel literature, historical works, and novels. These books reflected a tendency to criticize abuses of power and injustices in society and offered an imaginary world or utopian vision. While literature alone did not cause the revolution, it played a role in shaping attitudes and predisposing people to embrace change.

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