The Practice and Politics of Reading, 650-1500

The essays in this volume explore how reading was practised and represented in England from the seventh century to the beginnings of the print era, arguing that it cultivated and energized the subject's values, perceptions, and attitudes to the world. It finds many kinships between reading cultures across the medieval longue durée and the literatures and literacies that proliferate today.

Format: Hardback
Length: 354 pages
Publication date: 06 September 2022
Publisher: Boydell & Brewer Ltd

A fresh perspective on the reading practices and representations in England from the seventh century to the dawn of the print era reveals numerous connections between reading cultures across the medieval longue durée. While the media revolution of the past few decades prompts a reevaluation of the long history of reading, it also profoundly transforms human cultures, routines, attention spans, and the wiring of our brains. The essays in this volume explore this rich tapestry, examining how reading was cultivated and energized in England from the seventh century to the beginnings of the print era.

Part I, Practices of Reading, delves into how writers, scribes, and artists engaged readerly attention through textual layout, poetic form, hermeneutic difficulty, or images. It explores how these elements shaped the values, perceptions, and attitudes of readers toward the world. Part II, Politics of Reading, examines how different textual communities manipulated the anxieties and opportunities associated with reading. It explores topics such as Bible translation and exegesis, page layout, literary form and readerly practice, fiction, hermeneutics, and performance.

While the book recognizes reading as culturally and technologically localized, it also finds many kinships between reading cultures across the medieval longue durée and the literatures and literacies that proliferate today. Contributors to this volume include renowned scholars from various fields, who offer insightful perspectives on the past and present of reading.

In conclusion, this volume provides a valuable exploration of the multifaceted history of reading in England, shedding light on the practices, representations, and cultural significance of reading across different periods. It offers a rich tapestry of insights that will be of interest to scholars, students, and anyone passionate about the power of words and the enduring legacy of reading.

Dimension: 234 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781843846413