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Reading, Society and Politics in Early Modern England

Steven N Zwicker editor Kevin Sharpe editor

Format:Hardback

Publisher:Cambridge University Press

Published:10th Jul '03

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Reading, Society and Politics in Early Modern England cover

This book charts the changes in reading habits that reflect broader social and political shifts in early modern England.

Reading, Society and Politics in Early Modern England ranges over private and public reading, and over a variety of religious, social, and scientific communities to locate acts of reading in specific historical moments from the sixteenth through the eighteenth centuries.This book ranges over private and public reading, and over a variety of religious, social, and scientific communities to locate acts of reading in specific historical moments from the sixteenth through the eighteenth centuries. It also charts the changes in reading habits that reflect broader social and political shifts during the period. A team of expert contributors cover topics including the processes of book production and distribution, audiences and markets, the material text, the relation of print to performance, and the politics of acts of reception. In addition, the volume emphasises the independence of early modern readers and their role in making meaning in an age in which increased literacy equaled social enfranchisement and interpretation was power. Meaning was not simply an authorial act but the work of many hands and processes, from editing, printing, and proofing, to reproducing, distributing, and finally reading.

Review of the hardback: 'The essays that make up the collection are uniformly of a high standard. This is a stimulating and authoritative contribution to our understanding of the many ways readers have sought authority through, and over, their texts.' SHARP News
Review of the hardback: 'Modern readers can expect to receive pleasure rather than pain from this handsome, engaging and wide-ranging [] volume … for early modernist scholars who are serious about attending to early modern readers, this volume will serve as an indispensable guide.' History
Review of the hardback: 'This book is provocative and informative.' Sixteenth Century Journal

ISBN: 9780521824347

Dimensions: 229mm x 152mm x 25mm

Weight: 720g

374 pages