Daniel Roche

Les occasions de lire

Daniel Roche : Opportunities for reading. ; Reading, for the lower classes, should be seen as both an expression of individual effort and as a form of sociability. The circulation of the printed word can best be studied in towns for, unlike the countryside — still relatively untouched by the spread of literacy — 18th-century towns, particularly Paris, were inundated with writings. Thanks to books, almanachs, pamphlets and so on, but also posters and signs, townspeople were surrounded by written messages, which meant that even those who could not read were in constant contact with the printed word. Furthermore, this popularisation of learning was completed through the family, the workplace, religion and celebrations.

L'amour paternel à Paris au XVIIIe siècle

In an attempt to better apprehend paternal behaviour amongst the common people, the author examines the autobiographical diary kept by a Parisian glazier, Jacques-Louis Menetra, from 1764 to 1802 : how was he treated by his father, how did he himself treat his own children ? Three conclusions can be reached from this one lot of evidence : it was commonly required for a father to love his children ; he could and had to love them without making any differences between them ; and he could and had to take care of setting them in life. In this case, both norms and actual behaviour coincided.