000			a
999			_c30302 _d30302
008			210521b xxu||||| |||| 00| 0 eng d
020			_a9780198820581
082			_a428.4 _bJAC
100			_aJack, Belinda Elizabeth
245			_aReading : a very short introduction
260			_bOxford University Press, _c2019 _aOxford :
300			_a136 p. ; _bill., _c18 cm
365			_b299.00 _cINR _d00
490			_aVery short introductions
504			_aIncludes bibliographical references and index.
520			_aToday many people take reading for granted, but we remain some way off from attaining literacy for the global human population. And whilst we think we know what reading is, it remains in many ways a mysterious process, or set of processes. The effects of reading are myriad: it can be informative, distracting, moving, erotically arousing, politically motivating, spiritual, and much, much more. At different times and in different places reading means different things. In this Very Short Introduction Belinda Jack explores the fascinating history of literacy, and the opportunities reading opens. For much of human history reading was the preserve of the elite, and most reading meant being read to. Innovations in printing, paper-making, and transport, combined with the rise of public education from the late eighteenth century on, brought a dramatic rise in literacy in many parts of the world. Established links between a nation’s levels of literacy and its economy led to the promotion of reading for political ends. But, equally, reading has been associated with subversive ideas, leading to censorship through multiple channels: denying access to education, controlling publishing, destroying libraries, and even the burning of authors and their works. Indeed, the works of Voltaire were so often burned that an enterprising Parisian publisher produced a fire-proof edition, decorated with a phoenix. But, as Jack demonstrates, reading is a collaborative act between an author and a reader, and one which can never be wholly controlled. Telling the story of reading, from the ancient world to digital reading and restrictions today, Belinda Jack explores why it is such an important aspect of our society. Collapse summary
650			_aReading
650			_aSocial aspects
650			_aLiteracy
650			_aBooks and reading
650			_abook burning
650			_aBraille
650			_aAusten, Jane
650			_aChinese literature
650			_aCicero
650			_aDyslexia
650			_aEgyptian writing
650			_aFigurative language
650			_aGermany
650			_aJoyce, James
650			_aLibrary of Alexandria
650			_aWomen author
942			_2ddc _cBK