{"product_id":"9789639116856","title":"Literacy and Written Culture in Early Modern Central Europe","description":"The early sixteenth century up to the end of the eighteenth century, the period of the Early Modern Age in Europe, saw a veritable revolution in cultural history. In the Middle Ages, it was deemed natural that only a select few knew how to read and write. By the late eighteenth century, however, about fifty per cent of the male population in the most developed regions of Europe was able to gather information by reading newspapers, and the number of those capable of conductin correspondence in writing increased steadily. Reading and writing skills and the use of literacy were rapidly gaining ground, to the detriment of verbal communication. The body of written documents drastically expanded, printed books grew in number while becoming cheaper, and more and more events and ideas were thought to be worth committing to paper. Orally transmitted knowledge and the memory of the elderly lost a great deal of their former prestige, while respect for information put down in writing strengthened. With the spread of calendars and printed maps, the concepts of space and time altered; numerically articulated, measurable time came to replace an image of the past drawn with vague, uncertain outlines.\u003cp\u003e The goal of this book is to examine the gradual spread of literacy and written culture among the peasants, market town burghers, the landed gentry and the landless and impoverished nobles in Central Europe from the sixteenth to the eighteenth century. In addition, the book explores the role written documents played in the lives of the members of these social strata, who represented the great majority of the population in early modern times.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e Literacy and Written Culture in Early Modern Central Europe is a lively and stimulating guide providing fascinating insights into village life, legal and administrative issues, and the role of the clergy. Its overall content contributes to major debates in the fields of language, literacy, linguistics and social history.  \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Central European University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47042598535408,"sku":"9789639116856","price":41.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9789639116856_p0.jpg?v=1763685351","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9789639116856","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}