Mobility of the Paper Medium and Dynamics of Writing in Montesquieu’s Drafts

Abstract

Montesquieu's drafts and letters constitute a conspicuous archive among French Enlightment's written heritage. Studying their material features requires an appropriate methodology, to identify which papers were used and how the philosopher handled them to write some of his major works. An inventory of the different paper types was carried out following the CNRS platform 'MUSE' codicological protocol. Comparing different papers used in Paris and Bordeaux allows understanding the interactions of numerous amanuenses with the writer, who lived and worked in both places, and sheds light on the complex writing process of L'Esprit des Lois. This study enhances the validity of applying an adapted codicological protocol to modern drafts.