“Et quelques vieux livres…” Presence, description, and classification of “medieval literature” in early modern private library catalogues published in France (1650–1750)

By studying the place held by a selection of “famous” medieval texts in a corpus of 148 private library catalogues published in France between 1650 and 1750, this article examines the perception and reception in the early modern period of what is now generally referred to as “medieval literature.” The article also aims to propose a critical reflection on the use of printed catalogues of private libraries as a source for literary history and the history of the book.