Interactive Confessional
Christophe Leutbrewer (17th century).
La confession coupée, ou, La méthode facile pour se préparer aux confessions particulieres & générales.
Paris: Denys Thierry and Claude Barbin, 1677. (BRB1072)
Compiled by a French Franciscan friar, this innovative confessional manual encouraged self-reflection on several hundred sins, ranging from embracing heresy to cheating at games. Categorized according to the Ten Commandments, brief definitions of the sins were printed on pre-cut paper. This allowed the user to pull the slips up individually so that they extended over the superimposed paper margin, thereby serving as topical reminders for reflection and confession, to be tucked under the margin again after the confession. The ability to select, manipulate, and categorize particular textual units introduced in this book can be seen as a precursor to modern information management systems.
