Robert Darnton Livres

Analyse: Voir le chapitre 10, sur la publication de "Le système de la nature" par la Société typographique de Neuchâtel

Cette étude se penche sur la place des écrivains de second ordre dans la préparation de la Révolution française. Le paysage des Lumières, vu des boutiques de libraires ou des officines de la police, à la croisée entre histoire de l'édition et sociologie des auteurs et du public, pose en termes novateurs la question de la lecture et de la vie intellectuelle au XVIIIe siècle

À la veille de la Révolution, 25 000 collections des 17 volumes de l’Encyclopédie étaient déjà vendues à travers l’Europe. Robert Darnton, dans ce « grand livre sur l’Encyclopédie » (Roger Chartier) raconte l’histoire de ce succès. Il y révèle un aspect peu connu de l’histoire de la France au siècle des Lumières. « La plus grande entreprise de tous les temps » n’y est pas considérée sous l’angle des idées philosophiques qu’elle contient, mais comme la plus grande affaire commerciale du XVIIIe siècle. L’histoire de la fabrication, du mode de vente et de distribution de ce best-seller amène de la sorte à une connaissance réelle des la vie des Français au travail.

The exploration of scandalous literature in eighteenth-century France reveals how libelers challenged the authority of the Old Regime. Robert Darnton delves into the vibrant lives of these figures, illustrating their impact on the ideological shifts that paved the way for a more radical political culture during Robespierre's era. This examination highlights the interplay between literature and politics, showcasing how dissenting voices contributed to the transformation of French society.

Understanding events requires exploring the complex layers of perceptions that shape them, including attitudes, values, and emotions such as hopes and fears. The book delves into how these perceptions influence our interpretation of events, emphasizing their interconnectedness. By examining the memories of the past and anticipations of the future, it reveals the profound impact of human experience on our understanding of the world.

Offers a reasoned defence of what the French revolutionaries were trying to achieve, and urges us to look beyond political events to understand the idealism and universality of their goals.

A fresh perspective on censorship emerges in this elegant history by a superb conjurer of the past. With his uncanny ability to spark life in the past, Robert Darnton re-creates three historical worlds in which censorship shaped literary expression. In 18th-century France, censors navigated the intricacies of royal privilege in a working collaboration with authors and booksellers on the making of literature. Absolutism operating through negotiation yielded both suppression and protection of some of the great works of the Enlightenment. In 19th-century India, the efforts of the British Raj to control "native" literature gave voice to an Indian opposition that exposed the tensions between Britain's liberal principles and imperial power. And in 20th-century East Germany, the Communist Party's attempt to engineer literature actually yielded a range of outcomes from brutal repression to the complex negotiation behind some of the best-known works by German authors. Censorship emerges not as a simple repression that is everywhere the same but a melding of power and culture grounded in history

Exploring the interplay between history and culture, this collection of essays spans topics from the 18th to the 20th centuries. It includes captivating anecdotes, such as a 1792 incident in the French Legislative Assembly, and offers insights into media, the publishing world, and the history of books. Darnton also delves into intellectual history and examines the connections between history, literature, anthropology, and sociology. His engaging writing style makes complex themes accessible and thought-provoking.