Correspondence: Models of Letter-Writing from the Middle Ages to the Nineteenth Century

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Correspondence explores the history of a fascinating cultural practice: the writing of letters. From the sixteenth to the eighteenth century, western societies served a long apprenticeship in the culture of the written word. Although mastery of reading and writing was far from evenly distributed, many tradesmen, shopkeepers, and artisans possessed these skills. A specialized literature came into being whose aim it was to regulate and control ordinary forms of letter-writing by instilling in people the difficult techniques that this writing entailed. As a result, tensions evolved in the structured practice of letter-writing. Although writers wished to stay within the guidelines set forth by secrétaires or by collections of model letters, they also wanted to be spontaneous. Correspondence explores these tensions over a long span of time by examining model letter collections.

Contents:
Introduction: An ordinary kind of writing / Roger Chartier
1. The letter-writing norm, a mediaeval invention / Alain Boureau
2. Secrétaires for the people? / Roger Chartier --
3. Letter-writing manuals in the nineteenth century / Cécile Dauphin.

Translation of 3 chapters from La correspondance: les usages de la lettre au XIXe siècle .