Is Comedy a Modern Thing?

We attended a performance of The Play that Goes Wrong at the Florida Rep in downtown Fort Myers last night. I love the old intimate theater, and the goofy play gave us plenty of laughs. Slapstick comedy has kept audiences laughing for a thousand years, and it got me to wondering…did French peasants in the … Continue reading Is Comedy a Modern Thing?

Gossip and News: How 17th Century French Peasants Shared Information

We can’t live without our phones, email, TV, and podcasts. How did the people of yore manage? In a 17th-century French village, news traveled at the pace of footsteps and farm carts, stitched together by habit, ritual, and the human love of a good story. Most peasants lived within a few kilometers of one another … Continue reading Gossip and News: How 17th Century French Peasants Shared Information

Prisons – Then & Now

In 1650 rural France, justice was swift and visible, especially for the poor. Most rural areas fell under the jurisdiction of the local seigneur (lord) who meted out justice. A peasant unable to pay his debts or found guilty of minor offenses, such as petty theft, insults, drunkenness, or selling goods without license, rarely faced … Continue reading Prisons – Then & Now