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
Tag: 17th century
Choosing Character Names
cyndi Lauper and peasant girl could never exchange names.
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Death Was Different Then…or Was It?
funeral then and now, casket, flowers, candles. French peasants at wake, modern funeral
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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
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Time Travel Tuesday
The poorest of peasants in France in the 17th century did not have horses, mules, carts, and carriages. They traveled on foot and, by necessity, carried whatever they could–but only what they needed. They used baskets, wooded frames, cross-body satchels, fardes (like a hobo’s bindle,) and sac à dos — literally, ‘bag for the back.’ … Continue reading Time Travel Tuesday
Jeanne Meeks ~ Fiction Author 