Question

How did reading become a mania in Europe in the 18 th century? Explain with examples.

Answer 1

1. The revolution in printing was brought by Gutenberg's printing pres. With the invention of printing press, the cost of producing a book came down. So now even the common people could afford it.
2.The 17th and the 18th centuries saw the rapid rise of literacy rate in most parts of Europe.Churches of different denominations set up schools in villages. By the end of the 18th century, in some parts of Europe, the literacy rate was as high as 60 to 80 per cent.
3.New forms of popular literature were printed, which targeted new audiences. There were almancs or ritual calendars, along with ballads and folk tales.
4.The next phase was the development of periodicals. The periodicals combined information about current affairs with entertainment. Newspapers and journals carried information about wars and trade as well as news of developments in other places.
5.Booksellers employed pedlars who roamed around villages, carrying low price books for sale.

Answer 2

Hey..... here's your answer.....

(1) In ancient times, manuscripts were handwritten. These circulated among very few people. In contrast, because of being printed, novels were widely read and became popular very quickly. Technological improvements in printing brought down the print of books and innovations in marketing led to expanded sales.

(2) People had easier access to books with the introduction of circulating libraries in 1740.

(3) At this time, big cities like London were growing rapidly and becoming connected to small towns and rural areas. Novels produced a number of common interests among their scattered and varied readers. Novels began to be written form the 17th century, but they really flowered from the 18th Century

(4) For a long time, the publishing market excluded the poor. Initially novels did not come cheap. But with the expansion of printing press, novels became cheaper and in the reach of the poor people.

(5) The worlds created by novels were absorbing and believable. While reading novels, the reader was transported to another person’s world, and began looking at life as it was experienced by the characters of the novel.

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