Abstract
Abstract In France, the last decade of the eighteenth century saw an explosion in papers of diverse kinds, put to new political uses. However, in the aftermath of the French Revolution, paper was also instrumentalised to articulate histories of revolutionary participation, as well as changing ideas about revolutionary identification. Some of these were coded as virtuous: paper objects found a place at the heart of sentimental accounts of personal sacrifice, such as that of prison warder Joseph Cange. Conversely, paper was central to claims for culpability or reparation—most strikingly, assorted papers were mobilised as defence against recrimination for involvement in regicide, as discussed here in relation to printmaker and politician Antoine-Louis-François Sergent-Marceau. This essay considers how the apparent abundance that characterised the period’s paper ecology, along with new attitudes toward paper’s proliferation, preservation and disposal, bore the imprint of political justification, evasion and historical revisionism—all framed by the need to ‘pass’ as post-revolutionary.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.