Abstract
This work is concerned with the expressive dimensions of 16th and 17th century writing, reflecting on material forms as creators of meaning, especially through the use of handwriting. It is proposed that the study of the holograph writing included a particular economy of time that created relations of sociability and which was used as a sign of acknowledgment of a collective ethos experienced in an individual manner. The classic origins of epistolary writing are evoked as revealing the soul, focusing on the writing of the Sardinian Sigismondo Arquer (c. 1525-1571) and his particular definition of intrus and extra writings.
Keywords:
writting culture in Early Modern Ages; materiality creating meaning; intentional uses of cultural forms