The demon of writing: Paperwork, public safety, and the reign of terror

This article investigates the case of a clerk in the Committee of Public Safety who claimed to have rescued more than a thousand men and women from the Terror of 1793-94 by delaying, diverting, and destroying files. It considers the historical and theoretical implications of his actions, arguing that the materiality of paperwork is critical to understanding the powers and failures of the modern state.