Fiction in the Archives: Pardon Tales and Their Tellers in Sixteenth-Century France

Natalie Davis' study probes the Pardon letters of sixteenth century France in an attempt to discern the fundamental attitudes of sixteenth-century society regarding violence, religion, crime and other matters. She points out that while the pardon letters are not necessarily the "objective" truth of events, they do provide us with an invaluable glimpse into how common people in the Sixteenth Century told tales and what aspects of life they considered important when composing their tales of woe and betrayal which lead to their imprisonment. Davis' style and insights are witty, concise and yet still in depth. The work moves from an analysis of which legal and professional officers influenced the writing of Pardon letters to what cultural values played a role in these tales. Davis's work is a must for any scholar who wishes to use archival material in his or her study. She provides the reader with a new approach to archival material which allows him or her to free themself from concerns about "did this really happen or not?" and allows them to address larger issues such as "why did they percieve a crime in this way?"