Print Revolution transformed the lives of people. It changed their relationship with institutions and knowledge. It influenced their perception and way of looking at things.

A NEW READING PUBLIC :

  • Due to printing , multiple copies of book s could be produced easily. The cost of books came down. And a new reading public emerged.
  • Books became accessible to everyone and even common people started reading, unlike the old times when reading was only restricted to the elite. 
  • Earlier, common people lived in a world of oral culture. They heard sacred texts, ballads (historical folk tale,usually sung) recited and folk tales narrated. 
  • Knowledge was transferred orally.
  • The transition from oral culture to printed books was not easy, as the books could only be enjoyed by the people who knew how to read and write.
  • To deal with this problem, printers began publishing picture books or popular ballads into books so that they could be easily understood.
  • That is how Oral culture entered Print, and the line that separated oral and reading cultures became blurred . Eventually, hearing public became reading public.

RELIGIOUS DEBATES AND FEAR OF PRINT :

  • Print made the circulation of ideas possible , which encouraged the scope of debate and discussion.
  • Now anybody, who disagreed with the established societal norms could print their ideas and try to persuade people about why they are right.
  • People feared that if there would be no control on what was to be printed or read, then rebellious and irreligious thoughts might spread.
  • As a result, there was widespread criticism of the new printed literature that began to be circulated.

Portrait of Martin Luther - Teachoo.jpg

PORTRAIT OF MARTIN LUTHER.

PROTESTANT REFORMATION :-

  • It was a 16th century movement to reform the catholic church dominated by Rome.
  • Martin Luther was one of the main reformers. 
  • Several traditions of anti catholic christianity developed out of the movement.
  • In 1517, Martin Luther wrote 95 Theses criticizing many practices/ rituals of the Roman Catholic Church.
  • These writings were widely produced and read, One copy was posted on a Church door in Wittenberg (city in Germany) .
  • It challenged the church to debate his ideas,which gave rise to the protestant reformation.
  • Luther even said,’ Printing is the ultimate gift of god and the greatest one’.
  • Scholars felt that print had brought a new intellectual atmosphere and helped spread new ideas.

PRINT AND DISSENT :

  • Print gave rise to multiple interpretations of faith even among the lesser educated people.
  • In 16th century, MENOCCHIO, a miller in Italy, began reading books and interpreted the Bible in such a way that his view of god and creation enraged the catholic church.
  • When the Catholic Church began enquiring his views further, he was hauled and ultimately executed.
  • Roman Catholic church became troubled by such effects of readings and questioning of faith.
  • From 1558, they imposed controls over the publishers and booksellers to maintain an Index of prohibited books.

A Chapbook in England Named - Teachoo.jpg

A Chapbook in England named, History of Jack and the Giant Killer. 

 

 

 

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Davneet Singh's photo - Co-founder, Teachoo

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Davneet Singh

Davneet Singh has done his B.Tech from Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur. He has been teaching from the past 14 years. He provides courses for Maths, Science and Computer Science at Teachoo