Tuesday, March 30, 1999

 

Communications revolutions

1. Writing

2. Printing Press

 

What you should know by the end of today's lecture:

Why was the invention of the printing press a revolution in communication?

Before the Printing Press

1. Limited number of texts

2. Hand written

3. Monasteries: centers of civilization

4. Religion

5. Preserving the word of God

6. Threat of extinction

7. Race against time

8. Working conditions

9. Which texts to save?

Christian monasteries:

New, old testament, Epistles, ancient Greek texts, writings of the earlier leaders of the church/doctors of the church.

Jewish centers of learning

(Spain, Northern France, Mainz, Rome)

Old Testament, Jewish law/Talmud, Commentaries on the law (Tosaphists)

 

Printing Press

1. Wood/metal type

2. Multiple impressions

3. Output comparisons

1 hand written Bible/ 1,000 printed Bibles

330AD to 1450 AD (1120 years): same number of texts produced as the first 50 years after the invention of the printing press (roughly, 1450 to 1500)

 

Wednesday, March 31, 1999

1. Representatives of:

Oral culture

Brilliant speaker

Political Dissident

Written Culture

Brilliant writer

Political Dissident

1 book

Print Culture

Brilliant writer

Political Dissident

Printer

1,000+ books

 

 

 

Wednesday, March 31, 1999

Today’s lecture:

1. Controlling communication in print culture

Why, how

2. Bias of communication in Tudor England

3. Style of Early American newspapers

4. Politicization of American press during Revolution

Control of Communication

1. Oral culture

Components:

Speaker, listeners

Characteristics:

Shared time, space

Distribution -- local only

Control:

Disband audience

Close hall

Seize speaker

2. Written Culture

Components

Text, readers

Characteristics

Across time: unlimited

Across space: limited by small volume of texts

Control

Seize texts (not difficult due to small volume)

Punish readers (not difficult, due to small volume)

3. Print culture

Components

Texts, readers

Characteristics

Across time, space

Control

Difficulty: Both texts, audience dispersed.

So:

England, 1500-1600

1. Prior to 1500

Civil War

 

2. c. 1500.

3. Henry VIII.

You are Henry VIII.

1. Any concerns about the printing press?

What, why?

2. Do you want to control it?

3. How to control?

4. Could you use the printing press to help you carry out your policies?

 

England, c. 1500-1600.

Controls on press

1. Restrict use of presses

Licenses

(Prior restraint)

Force:

Punish unlicensed printers

Suasion:

Licenses to loyal printers

2. Punish criticism

Seditious libel

(criticism of government)

3. Index of Banned Books

4. Proclamations: List of banned topics

5. Pro-active publications

Material favoring king’s policies.

Bias of communication

1. Who controls communication process?

Tudor monarchs

2. What is their agenda?

3. How does communication reflect their agenda?

 

Thursday, April 1, 1999.

Today’s Lecture

1. How/Why Press Advocacy Emerged

(American Revolution)

2. Why advocacy made sense

3. Bias of communication

Early American communication

1. First Newspaper c. 1700

Why so late?

2. Character of early Press

Boston New Letter (1704)

 

2. American Revolution:

Press politicized

Stamp Act, Nov. 1, 1765.

Tax on paper products.

Impact: printers,

lawyers, merchants

Resistance, boycott:

Sons of Liberty

Editors’ dual role

Advocacy in print

Activism outside office

Repeal of Stamp Act

Emergence of Press

as leader in public opinion,

editors as partisan activists