Reading public
Topic: Print Culture and the Modern World · NCERT: Class 10, Ch 5 "Print Culture and the Modern World"
Meaning
A reading public is a group of people who learn things by reading printed books themselves. Before print, most people belonged to a hearing public: they heard sacred texts read out, ballads recited and folk tales told. Printing made books cheaper, so a reading public grew. But literacy stayed low until the 20th century, so the two groups mixed.
Example
In early modern Europe, printers produced illustrated ballads and folk tales. These were sung and read aloud in villages and taverns, so even people who could not read took part in print culture.
Don't confuse with
- Reading mania: the later boom in reading in Europe. By the late 18th century, 60–80 per cent of people were literate in some parts of Europe.