Print Culture

PRINT CULTURE

1. Write short notes

(a) The Gutenberg Press:

1. It was established by Johann Gutenberg. By 1448, he had perfected the system of printing with olive and wine presses, using contemporary technological innovations. 2. The first book that he printed was the Bible, making 180 copies in 3 years. The Gutenberg Press was the first-known printing press in the 1430s 3. Although these books were printed, a unique touch remained in the handmade decorations of the front page, illuminated borders and purchaser- specified designs.

(b) Erasmus’s idea of the printed book:

1. Erasmus was critical of the print medium. He believed that though some books do provide worthwhile knowledge, others are simply a bane for scholarship. 2. Erasmus accused printers of publishing books that were scandalous, irreligious and seditious. 3. He also felt that large numbers of such books reduce the value of the quality writings.

(c) The Vernacular Press Act:

1. Modelled on the Irish Press Laws, it was passed in 1878. 2. This law gave the government tyrannical rights to censor reports and editorials in the vernacular press. This was a complete violation of the freedom of expression. 3. If a seditious report was published and the newspaper did not heed to an initial warning, then the press was seized and the printing machinery confiscated.

2. What were the effects of the spread of print culture for poor people in nineteenth century India?

1. The poor people benefitted from the spread of print culture in India on account of the availability of low-price books and public libraries mostly in cities and towns. 2. Enlightening essays were written against caste discrimination and its inherent injustices. For example, Jyotibha Phule in his Gulamgiri, B.R. Ambedkar, Periyar wrote powerfully on caste which were read by people across the country. 3. Inspite of lack of education and too much work some workers wrote about their experiences like Kashibaba, a Kanpur mill worker who wrote about the links between caste and class exploitation in Chhote Aur Bade Ka Sawal. By the 1930s the Bangalore cotton mill workers set up libraries to educate themselves which were sponsored by social reformers in order to bring literacy among them and also to propagate the message of nationalism.

3. Why did some people fear the effect of easily available printed books? Choose one example from Europe and one from India.

1. Print created the possibility of wide circulation of ideas, and introduced a new world of debate and discussion. Through print those who disagreed with established authorities could persuade people to think differently and move them to action. 2. The people who feared the effect of easily available printed books were the ones who held some power, like religious authorities, monarchs as well as writers and artists. It was feared that if there was no control over what was printed and read then rebellious and irreligious thoughts would spread leading to the destruction of valuable literature. 3. In Europe, for example, the Roman Catholic Church troubled by the effects of popular reading and questioning of faith, set up the Index of Prohibited Books in 1558 to repress any published material that it felt eroded it’s authority as the sole interpreter of religion.. 4. In India, the colonial government favoured censorship of press and passed law to prevent free circulation of journals and newspapers. The Vernacular Press Act for example, gave the government extensive rights to censor reports and editorials.

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