Introduction: court society and the politics of print in the eighteenth century

Abstract Promoting a political agenda and attacking the reputation of rivals were essential tools in the power struggles at the French court during the ancien régime. However, pamphlets discussing political issues and defamatory libels were very different cases that required specific types of protection. By focusing on the politics of print in the eighteenth century, the special issue that this article introduces paints a portrait of a society in which the public sphere was more tightly controlled than has long been believed. If a pamphlet or libel was widely circulated, it was because it served the interests of the dominant faction at court. The authors, far from being marginalized and frustrated, were generally well integrated into influential and often wealthy circles. The criticisms they levelled at ministers did not stem from their position as outsiders but, quite the contrary, from their participation in the competitive social arena of court society.