*UPDATED* For 2022-23 Boards Exam
SHOBHIT NIRWAN's
DESIGNED
PRINT CULTURE &
THE MODERN WORLD
NOTES
Printed matter is prevalent in our daily lives. From printed books, images, newspapers
to hoardings, advertisements and pamphlets; Print has become a very integral part of
our modern lives.
But there was a time when printed matter did not exist, and there were other ways by
which information was going on. There was a gradual shift from handwritten point to
printed matter, with the invention of new machines and presses; and this
transformation had a marked effect on the lives of the people.
The First Printed Books
The First Printed Books Hand printing was the initial form of painting; practised in
China,Japan and Korea.
CHINA:
In the sixteenth century,China was one a country producing printed matter on a
large scale. Initially, it included only textbooks for examinations of civil services.
Gradually, other printed matter became available to the people.
People were more interested in reading fictional stories, poetries, plays,
autobiographies and the like.
Likewise, trade information became available in printed form, which was vastly
used by traders.
JAPAN:
Hand printing was introduced in Japan by Buddhist missionaries from China 768770 AD.
Printed inAD 868, the Buddhist Diamond Sutra is the oldest Japanese book.
The handprinted matter became a common sight in Japan’s libraries and markets,
ranging from textbooks to books on prose, poetry, paintings, etc. There were also
books on women, manners and etiquettes, cooking, flower arrangements and
many more.
PRINT COMES TO EUROPE
In the eleventh century Chinese paper reached Europe through silk route.
In 1295, Marco Polo, a great explorer, introduced woodblock printing in Italy.
From Italy, it spread to various parts of the world. Soon, woodblock painting
became widely used to print books, textiles, play cards, pictures, and much more.
To meet the increasing demand of books booksellers started giving employment
to scribs and skilled handwriters.
But the production of handwritten manuscripts could not satisfy the ever
increasing demand for books as:
Copying was an expensive, laborious and time consuming business.
Manuscripts were fragile and difficult to handle.
Not easily carried around or read easily.
Thus, there is a need for quicker and cheaper alternative for reproduction of
books. And that's where Johann Gutenberg developed the first-known printing
press in the 1430s.
Gutenberg and the Printing Press:
Gutenberg grew up on large farms, where he had seen wine and olive presses.
He became a master goldsmith, who had the expertise of creating lead moulds
for makingtrinkets.
Gutenberg applied this knowledge to create the printing press, where olive press
formed the base model of the printing press, and the lead mouldswere used to
cast alphabets.
In1448, Gutenberg printedthe first book on the press. It was the Bible.
The publishespublished180 copies of the Biblein 3 years, a high-speed production
by the then standards.
The PrintRevolution and Its Impact
A NEW READING PUBLIC
Before the process of the printing press, reading was restricted to a limited
population. As books were expensive and not produced in large number, ordinary
people did not have access to them.
With the printing press a new reading public emerged.
Printing reduced the cost of books. The time and labor required to produce each
book came down, and multiple copies could be produced with greater ease.
With abundant supply of books, the hearing public, became reading public.
But, Even after the printing press process, when books became cheap and
available in large numbers, not many could read it. As large section of the
European society was illiterate, books on folk tales and ballads were printed with
beautiful pictures for illustrations.
Such was then read out to people gatherings at villages or towns.
RELIGIOUS DEBATES AND THE FEAR OF PRINT
In the oral culture, religious faiths and norms were passed on from generations.
They believed what was said by the religious authorities
As not many were literate, people could not read the spiritual or sacred text and
understand their own.
But with the spread of print culture, many could read and interpret things in their
ways.
Many feared that if there was no control over what was printed and reading then
rebellious and irreligious thoughts might spread.
One such case was of Religious reformer Martin Luther King who criticised many
practices and rituals of the Roman Catholic Church.
A copy of the work was posted on a church’s door in Wittenberg.
Soon, Martin Luther’s work spread like a forest fire, leading to the sale of
5000 copies in the first few weeks.
The Thesis had a significant impact on the readers.There was a division in the
Church itself, which led to Protestant Reformation.
Martin Luther stated Print as “the ultimate gift of God and the greatest one”.
PRINT AND DISSENT
Easy availability of printed matter significantly impacted the people’s ideas and
thoughts.
Those who had little knowledge about reading and writing also read religious
texts and deciphered the message according to their understanding.
Menocchio, a miller in Itlay, began reading books in his locality.
His interpretations about God and Creation were not acceptable to the
RomanCatholic Church.
Menocchio was dragged up publicly twice and then executed. This was done so
set an example to those who questioned and criticized the Roman
CatholicChurch’s ways.
From 1558, the Church began to maintain Prohibited Books’ Index to gain control
over publishers and booksellers. The Church did this to stop the criticisms and
restore people’s faith in them.
The Reading Mania
In the eighteenth and nineteenth-century, Europe saw an increase in literacy
rates, which caused a rise in books publications. As more people became literate,
and many cultivated the habit of reading, there came a demand for varied
categories of printed matter.
To sell books to every nook and corner of the country, publishers in England,
began hiring chapmen. These were petty pedlars who carried penny chapbooks
and sold them to the poor.
In France, “Bibliotheque Bleue” were cheap books printed on low-quality paper,
bounded in blue colour covers which became famous.
Newspapers, periodicals and magazines also gained popularity from the early
eighteenth century. This helped people to know about the events happening in
their country.
TREMBLE, THEREFORE, TYRANTS OF THE WORLD
By the mid-eighteenth century, there was a common understanding that books
were a means of spreading progress and enlightenment.
Louise-Sebastien Mercier, a novelist in the 18th -century France, declared that
‘The printing press is the most powerful engine of progress and public opinion is
the force that will sweep despotism away.’ He proclaimed: ‘Tremble, therefore,
tyrants of the world! Tremble before the virtual writer!’
PRINT CULTURE AND THE FRENCH REVOLUTION
Many historians have argued that print culture created the conditions leading to
the French Revolution. Three types of arguments are :
First: Print popularised the ideas of the great thinkers. They were critical on
tradition, superstition and despotism. They argued for the rule of reason and
rationality. They attacked the sacred authority of the Church and the
despotic power of the state, thus eroding the legitimacy of traditional social
order. The writings of Voltaire and Rousseau made people see the world
through questioning, critical and rational eyes.
Second: Print created a new culture of dialogue and debate. All values,
norms and institutions were re-evaluated and discussed by a public that had
become aware of the power of reason and recognised the need to question
existing ideas and beliefs. This brought the idea of social revolution.
Third: By the 1780s there was a huge amount of literature that mocked the
royalty and criticized their morality and raised questions about the social
order.
The Nineteenth Century
CHILDREN, WOMEN AND WORKERS
Children:
Books for children became prominent in society.
As primary education became compulsory, books for children flooded the
market.
Textbooks for children became a heavy task for the publishers, and many
houses were established that were solely responsible for publishing children’s’
books.
Women:
Women also became essential readers.
Books on etiquettes and housekeeping were published for women.
Women were also seen as well known novelists in the nineteenth century, with
Jane Austen, the Bronte sisters and George Eliot being prominent.
The novels they wrote portrayed a different type of woman– a person who
had an opinion of her own, a strong will and an influencing personality.
Workers:
Workers also became interested in reading and learning new knowledge.
Many lower middle-class people and artists started renting from libraries and
educated themselves.
From the mid-nineteenth century, when the working hours were getting
shorter, the workers found themselves expressing their views and thoughts
through writing.
FURTHER INNOVATIONS OF PRESS:
By now press was made of metals.
Further in the 19th century many innovations were incorporated.
Richard M. Hoe introduced a power-driven cylindrical press that could publish
8000 sheets per hour. This was particularly useful for printing newspapers.
In the late nineteenth century, the offset press was developed which could print
up to six colours at a time.
By the 20th century electrically operated presses accelerated printing
operations.
Dust covers or jacket covers were also introduced in the twentieth century.
NEW STRATEGIES TO SELL BOOKS:
In the 1920s in England, popular works were sold in cheap series called the
Shilling Series.
With the onset of the Great Depression in the 1930s, publishers feared a decline
in book purchases. To sustain buying, they brought out cheap paperback editions.
India and the World of Print
MANUSCRIPTS BEFORE THE AGE OF PRINT
In India there always was a rich tradition of handwritten manuscripts in Sanskrit,
Arabic, Persian, and other languages.
Manuscripts were copied on palm leaves or on handmade paper.
But manuscripts were fragile and could be carried everywhere easily. They were
also challenging to handle.
PRINT COMES TO INDIA
The first printing press was setup in Goa by Portuguese missionaries
The first books were printed in Konkani language. By 1674, about 50 books had
been printed in Konkani and Kannara Languages.
Publishing in the English language began later. From 1780, James Augustus Hickey
began to edit the weekly magazine Bengal Gazette.
The first Indian newspaper was the weekly Bengal Gazette which was brought
out by Gangadhar Bhattacharya in 1816. He also published many other books.
Religious Reform and Public Debates
From the early nineteenth century, there were intense debates around religious
issues.
Different groups offered a variety of new interpretations of the beliefs of
different religions.
Ram Mohan Roy published the Sambad Kaumudi from 1821 and the orthodoxy
commissioned the Samachar Chandrika to oppose his opinion.
From 1822, two Persian newspapers: Jam-i-Jahan Noma and Shamsul Akhbar
were published.
The Deoband Seminari, founded in 1867 published thousands upon thousands of
fatwas telling Muslim readers how to conduct themselves in everyday lives and
explaining the meaning of Islamic doctrines.
The first printed edition of the Ramcharitmanas of Tulsidas, a sixteenth-century
text, came out from Calcutta in 1810.
New Forms of Publication
Novels : More and more people now wanted to read reflections of their life
experiences. The novel, a literary form developed in Europe got modified to
Indian form and style.
Visual paintings also became popular.
Calendars and pictures of god and goddess adorned the people’s walls, be it
rich or poor. This led to the employment of wood engravers.
Photos depicting new social and cultural life also began to be printed. Such
prints began shaping the people’s views on how a society can be changed for a
better future.
Caricatures and cartoons also became famous.
Kuch Kaam Ki Baat (K3B) :
What are the impact of print culture on Indian women?
Print enabled women to read in silence, discuss and debate among the like
minded persons.
Women express themselves and shape their ideas.
It connects women across caste religion or class.
Many women writes their experiences and stories .
Many liberal husband and fathers allowed their wife and daughters to study.
Still there were people who did not want women to be educated.
Hindus thought that education would lead women to be widowed.
Muslims feared that ladies would be corrupted by reading Urdu romances.
But still, many women managed to learn to read and write by themselves in the
confines of their home.
Rashsundari Debi was a young married girl of Bengal who learnt to read in her
house.Later she wrote her autobiography namedAmar Jiban, the first full-length
autobiography, published in 1876.
PRINT AND THE POOR PEOPLE:
In the 19th century, very cheap and small books were brought to markets.
Cheap books were being sold at Madras so that poor people were also buy read.
Lending library were setup.
Paperback edition of novels were printed to make them affordable to the masses.
Literacy Rate was increased in Labour Class.
It helps to send the message of Nationalism to masses.
From the late nineteenth century, issues of caste discrimination began to be
written about in many printed tracts and essays.
In 1871 Jyotiba Phule wrote about the injustice of the caste system in his book
Gulamgiri.
Kashibaba, a Kanpur Mill worker, wrote and published Chote aur Bade ka Saval in
1938 to show the links between caste and class exploitation.