Module description
In this module students will examine the evolution of the book during the European long eighteenth century (c. 1660-1830). During this period the book developed into the dominant vehicle of culture in Europe. The module asks: how and why? Overarching questions will include the following. How did the circumstances of production and circulation sustain or contradict ideologies of authorship that evolved in the modern period? In what ways does the book medium satisfy the different or even divergent interests of authors, publishers and readers? What do changing modes of book production and circulation tell us about reading as a social phenomenon? To what extent do distinct reading cultures, defined e.g. by social status or gender, develop in the period? What social and political problems did the book market encounter?
Assessment details
1 x 3,000 word essay (100%)
Educational aims & objectives
The module aims to enable students to understand books from what will probably be a new and unfamiliar point of view — books not as vehicles for literature, but as economic, social, and political entities; books viewed not from the inside, but from the outside. To this end students will develop an understanding of three aspects of book history in the long eighteenth century: the processes of book production and circulation; the roles of the different participants and institutions in book production and consumption (authors, publishers, readers, libraries); and the economic, social, and politico-legal constraints on book circulation (e.g. copyright, censorship). This will also require students to develop an understanding of the specific historical conditions of the period.
Learning outcomes
On completion of the module students will be able to:
- give a detailed and reasoned account of one aspect of book history during the period
- assess and analyse relevant data from fields such as: publishing finances, bibliometrics, literacy studies etc
- critically analyse the relevant literature on book history
- compare trends in book history in Britain, France and Germany
- set the history of the book in relevant social, economic or political contexts
Teaching pattern
1 hour lecture and 1 hour seminar weekly
Suggested reading list
- David Finkelstein and Alistair McCleery, An Introduction to Book History, London: Routledge, 2005
- Alberto Manguel, A History of Reading, New York: Penguin, 1996. New York: Penguin, 1996
- Phillip Gaskell, A New Introduction to Bibliography, Winchester: St Paul's, 1995. Winchester: St Paul's, 1995
- Lucien Paul Victor Febvre and Henri-Jean Martin. The Coming of the Book: The Impact of Printing, 1450-1800, London: Verso, 1997.