The Talk of the Town: Information and Community in Sixteenth-Century Switzerland, by Carla Roth

Oral communication remained pivotal in the dissemination of information during the early modern period, even amid the rise of print culture. Carla Roth's study reveals that conversations documented by linen trader Johannes Rütiner in 16th-century St Gall underscore the enduring role of social networks and communicative capital in shaping the credibility of accounts. Rütiner's Latin notebooks, spanning 1529–39, provide a rare glimpse into the dynamics of information spread, highlighting how contemporaries assessed narratives based on factors such as social status, proximity to events, and mediation by trusted individuals. This research challenges the notion that print media dominated early modern discourse, demonstrating instead the persistent influence of oral exchange in both urban and intellectual circles.

Kümin, B. (2024). The Talk of the Town: Information and Community in Sixteenth-Century Switzerland, by Carla Roth. The English Historical Review, 139(598-599), 913–914. https://doi.org/10.1093/ehr/ceae157