Silence intérieur et machineries de la communication au xixe siècle

Abstract

Bourgeois interiors in the 19th century became shrines of silence. Social distinction: at the opposite of the noisy apartments in working-class districts, appartements in bourgeois district were quiet. Private archives, patents and practical manuals underline that this construction was material. Silence is won and defended by devices that created systems. They shutt off noises from outside and neighbors and controled interior sounds. On the one hand, bourgeois caulked doors and windows, installed acoustic walls and double glazing and installed intercom systems that put the street at a distance. On the other hand, great care was taken to muffle interior noises. The bourgeois world was hushed in the strict sense: slippers under the feet, underlays under the carpets, mutes on the pianos, upholstery at the doors of rooms... The commandment of the popular bodies of the servants had also to be done in silence. The apartment was crossed by complex systems. Speaking tubes, mechanical or electric wires, bells then silent semaphores silently choreographed domestic life. Silence was a control of the bodies, prohibiting posturing, abruptness and cacophony. Silence and whispers become the condition of the bourgeois intimacy, as if the inner monologue requires the silence of others.

Keywords

• home
• bourgeoisie
• servant
• semaphore
• bell
• silence