440 pages
English language
Published Feb. 18, 1996 by Norton.
The forbidden best-sellers of pre-revolutionary France
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More popular than the canon of the great Enlightenment philosophers were other books, also banned by the regime, written and sold "under the cloak." These formed a libertine literature that was a crucial part of the culture of dissent in the Old Regime. Robert Darnton explores the cultural and political significance of these "bad" books and introduces readers to three of the most influential illegal best-sellers, from which he includes substantial excerpts. Winner of the 1995 National Book Critics Circle Award for criticism.
Subjects
- French literature -- 18th century -- History and criticism.
- Popular literature -- France -- History and criticism.
- Books and reading -- France -- History -- 18th century.
- Best sellers -- France -- History -- 18th century.