Lawful and unlawful writings in Lyon in the 17th century

Anne Béroujon (1)

1 LARHRA APMU - Action publique et mondes urbains

This contribution investigates different forms of public writing that were common in seventeenth century France. Based on research in the city of Lyon, it describes texts such as epigraphs, public signs and inscriptions on monuments that increasingly became part of the urban environment. Another category of text common at the time were libels: pamphlets or posters containing defamatory statements about specific individuals. These texts, which were put up at the attacked person's house or in public spaces, were regarded as illegal and their suppression became part of the municipality's and court's efforts to control the urban space.

Mots clés: public writing; epigraphs; inscriptions; libels; posters; public space; seventeenth century France

Domaines: Histoire

Anne Béroujon. Lawful and unlawful writings in Lyon in the 17th century. David Barton, Uta Papen. The Anthropology of Writing, Continuum, pp.190-213, 2010. ⟨halshs-00580440⟩