In this essay, I choose to write on the printing revolution. My love for reading, motivated me to choose this topic. Without the printing machines, access to books would be costly and difficult. Printing, helps to amplify information and distribute it to the masses. It is the corner stone, to the development of mass communication. With the revolution of printing press, knowledge became easily accessible. Printing was instrumental in bringing changes, in political, religious and scientific arenas. (Library.manchester.ac.uk)
Before the invention of printing machine and the following printing revolution, it was very rare to find people who could read and write the language they speak. Handwritten books were available only in universities and religious institutes, and were not allowed access to common folks (Eisenstein). All most, all these books, were written in Latin. Literacy was present, only among the privileged. Others were dependent on memorization and mental faculty for transfer of their knowledge. Printing revolution, helped the spread of literacy among common folks. It provided unrestricted access to knowledge. With access, to knowledge, people began to develop new ideas. (Odin)
Gutenberg’s invention of printing press, in 1445, caused a rebirth, in people’s views and ideas. In the beginning, print was excessively controlled, by the people in authority: religious and secular powers. These powers, decided what was printed and what people read. The Roman Catholic Church was a monopoly of power and wealth. People were dissatisfied with the fraudulent activities of the church, carried out in the name of religion. Among the famous reformers of the Renaissance period was Martin Luther, an Augustinian monk. He used the aid of printed pamphlets, to spread news about the financial abuse of the Roman Catholic Church. This later lead to wide spread, religious and theological debate, threatening and abolishing the churches supreme status and control. Printing machine also helped in the spread of books related to humanism that emerged during the Renaissance period. (Learner.org)
Harry Graff posted, that learning outside the conventional set up of a formal school, is necessary for the spread of literacy among the masses. Before the advent of printing revolution, access to books, were available only at schools. Printing revolution, created an easy access to books and thus encouraged more people to read and write.
References for in-text citation:
Eisenstein, Elizabeth L. The Printing Revolution In Early Modern Europe. Cambridge [Cambridgeshire]: Cambridge University Press, 1983. Print.
Learner.org,. 'Renaissance -- Printing and Thinking'. N.p., 2015. Web. 28 Apr. 2015.
Library.manchester.ac.uk,. 'First Impressions | Printing and the Growth Of Literacy'. N.p., 2015. Web. 28 Apr. 2015.
Odin, Jaishree K. 'Technologies of Writing'. Hawaii.edu. N.p., 2015. Web. 28 Apr. 2015.
