Material Texts

Collecting, Bookbinding, and Literature (17th-19th Centuries)

Abstract

The modern system of text classification was consolidated between the 17th and 19th centuries, marked by the standardization of bibliographic codes and the distinct identity of the book as a volume. This established system has shaped the history of text transmission, often overlooking how changes in organization and attribution influence creation and circulation. The article begins by synthesizing the relationship between bibliographic classification practices and the criteria for writing fiction, whether in the form of Belle-Lettres or what would eventually be recognized as literature. Next, it explores the impact of materiality on the symbolic status of texts, divided into two parts. The first part examines a significant transition that began in the mid-17th century: the shift from a system dominated by miscellanies and reader-organized compilations to a bibliographic framework centered on single-author volumes, establishing a clear connection between author, title, and work. In the second part, we analyze how, by the 19th century, literature—with the rise of the novel, the emergence of nationalisms, and the evolving figure of the author—manifests itself on the surface of books, influencing both the publishing market and in the world of collecting.