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‘Paper is Deynty’: The Significance of Paper in the Paston Letters

‘Paper is Deynty’: The Significance of Paper in the Paston Letters

Paper by Orietta da Rold

Given online by the Norfolk Records Office on September 8, 2021

Abstract: Paper is the main tool of communication in fifteenth-century England. The Paston family’s letters and network of acquaintances show that paper had made the transition from being a technological novelty to becoming a familiar tool, an essential instrument in everyday life. In this talk, Orietta Da Rold discusses how paper established itself as a commodity in epistolary culture and the stories paper can tell about medieval society and modes of communication.

Orietta Da Rold is Associate Professor and Fellow at St John’s College, University of Cambridge. Click here to view her university webpage, or follow Orietta on Twitter @orietta_darold

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This paper is part of the Paston Footprints series of lectures, from the Norfolk Recrods Office. Click here to view their Youtube page, or watch other videos from this series below:

Top Image: Letter written by John Paston II to John Paston III, 3 February, 1473- British Library Add MS 43489 fol. 55r

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