Chapter VII PRINT CæLTURE AND MODERN WORLD

1. How was printing done in China in theearly period? Or What were the features of
woodblock printing?
i. The earliest kind of print technology was developed in China, Japan and Korea. This was
a system of hand printing.
i. From AD 594 onwards, books in China were printed by rubbing paper, against the inked
surface of woodblocks. As both sides of the thin, porous sheet could not be printed, the
traditional Chinese 'accordion book' was folded and stitched at the side.
ii. Superbly skilled craftsmen could duplicate, with remarkable accuracy, the beauty of
calligraphy.
2. Why did the volume of print increase in China in the early. period? Or How did
China become a major producer of printed materials fora long time?
i. The imperial state in China was, for a very long time, the major producer of printed
materials. China possessed a huge bureaucratic system, which recruited its personnel
through civil service examinations.
ii. Textbooks for this examination were printed in vast numbers under the sponsorship of the
imperial state.
ii. From the sixteenth century, the number of examination candidates went up and it
increased the volume of print.
3. How did a new print culture develop in China? Or What changes occurred in print
culture in the 17th century in China? Or How was print culture influenced by the
rise of cities in China?
i. By the seventeenth century, as urban culture flourished in China, the uses of print
diversified. Print was no longer used just by scholar-officials.
ii. Merchants used print in their everyday life, as they collected trade information.
ii. Reading increasingly became a leisure activity. The new readership preferred fictional
narratives, poetry, autobiographies, anthologies of literary masterpieces, and romantic
plays.
iv. Rich women began to read, and many women began publishing their poetry and plays.
Wives of scholar-officials published their works and courtesans wrote about their lives.
V.
The development of new reading culture in China and the development of a new printing
technology helped the development of print culture. vi. Western printing techniques and
mechanical presses were imported in the late nineteenth century as Western powers
established their outposts-in China.
4 Give any three reasons favouring shift from hand printing to mechanical printing
in China. Ans. Above
5. Describe the development of print technology in Japan.
i Buddhist missionaries from China introduced hand-printing technology into Japan around
Buddhist Diamond
AD768-770. The oldest Japanese book, printed in AD 868, is the
 of text and woodcut illustrations. Pictures were printed on
Sutra',containing six sheets
textiles, playing cards and paper money.
regularly published, and books were
ii. In medieval Japan, poets and prose writings were to interesting publishing practices.
cheap and abundant. Printing of visual maferial ledurban circles at Edo (later to be known
iii. Inthe late eighteenth century, in the flourishing elegant urban culture, involving
as Tokyo), illustrated collections of paintings depicted an
artists, courtesans, and teahouse gatherings.
books
iv. Libraries and bookstores were packed with hand-printed material of various types -
on women, musical instruments, calculations, tea ceremony, flower arrangements, proper
etiquette (manners), cooking and famous places.
6. Describe the development of print technology in Europe. Or Who was Marco Polo?
What was his contribution in print culture?
i. In the eleventh century, Chinese paper reached Europe via the silk route. Paper made
possible the production of manuscripts possible, carefully written by scribes.
i. Then, in 1295, Marco Polo, a great explorer, returned to Italy after many years of
exploration in China. Marco Polo brought Chinese technology of woodblock printing.
back with him. Now Italians began producing books with woodblocks, and soon the
technology spread to other parts of Europe.
ii. Luxury editions were still handwritten on very expensive vellum, meant for aristocratic
circles and rich monastic libraries which ridiculed at printed books as cheap vulgarities.
Merchants and students in the university towns bought the cheaper printed copies.
7. Why did wood block printing become popular in Europe? Or What were the
drawback of the hand written manuscripts?
i. The production of handwritten manuscripts could not satisfy the ever-increasing demand
for books.
ii. Copying was an expensive, laborious and time-consuming business.
ii. Manuscripts were fragile, awkward to handle, and could not be carried around or read
casily. Their circulation therefore remained limited. With the growing demand for books.
woodblock printing gradually became more and more popular. iv. By the early fifteenth
century, woodblocks were being widely used in Europe to print textiles, playing cards.
and religious pictures with simple, brief texts.
8. When and where was thefirst printing press developed?
The first printing press was developed, by Johann Gutenberg at Strasbourg, Germany in
the 143Os.
9. Describe the role of scribes in the productions of books in the medieval period.
i. In the eleventh century, Chinese paper reached Europe via the silk route. Paper made
the production of manuscripts possible, carefully written by scribes. Wealthy and
influential patrons employed these scribes to copy books.
i. Wood- block printing could not satisfy the ever-increasing demand of books, so even
the book sellers employed large number of scribes. More than S0 scribes often worked
for one book seller.
10. How did Guttenberg develop the printing press?
 i. Gutenberg was the son of a merchant and grew up on a large agricultural estate. From his
childhood, he had seen wine and olive presses.
ii. Subsequently, he learnt the art of polishing stones, became a master goldsmith, and also
acquired the expertise to create 'lead moulds' used for making jewellery.
i . Drawing on this knowledge, Gutenberg adapted existing technology to design his
innovation. The olive press provided the model for the printing press, and moulds were
used for casting the metal types for the letters of the alphabet.
iv. By 1448, Gutenberg perfected the system. The first book he printed was the Bible. About
180 copies were printed and it took three years to produce them. By the standards of the
time, this was fast production.

11, What were the features of the books printed using the new technology by
Guttenberg?
i. The printed books at first closely resembled the written manuscripts in appearance and
layout.
E:
ii. Themetal letters imitated the ornamental handwritten styles.
iii. Borders were illuminated by hand with foliage and other patterns, and illustrations were
painted.
iv. In the books printed for the rich, space for decoration was kept blank on the printed page.
Each purchaser could choose the design and decide on the painting school that would do
the illustrations.
12. Examine the growth of printing during the hundred years between 1450 and 1550 in
Europe.
1. Anumber of printing presses were set up in most countries of Europe during this period.
ii. Printers from Germany traveled to other countries, seeking work and helping start new
presses. As the number of printing presses grew book production boomed.
ii. The second half of the 15th century saw 20 million copies of printed books flooding the
market in Europe. The number went up to about 200 million in the 16 century.
13. What was the print revolution?
It was a sudden change in the production of books in large numbers with the
invention of printing press. It was a change from the old methods of producing
handwritten books by the soribes to the wood block printing and then to the mechanical
printing. ( Continue point i below. )
14. State the impact of print revolution on European society.
i. Print revolution was a new way of producing books. It transformed the lives of people.
changing their relationshipto information and knowledge and with institution and
authorities. It influenced popular perceptions and opened up new ways of looking at
things.
ii. With the printing press, a new reading public emerged. Printing reduced the cost of books.
The time and labour required to produce each book came down, and multiple copies could
be produced with greater ease. Books flooded the market, reaching out to an ever-growing
readership.
 restricted to the
iii. Access to books created a new culture of reading. Earlier, reading was
reach out to
elites. Common people lived in a world of oral culture. Now books could
wider sections of people. If earlier there was a hearing public, now a reading public came
into being.
iv. Print created the possibility of wide circulation of ideas, and introduced a new world of
debate and discussion. Even those who disagreed with established authorities could now
print and circulate their ideas. Through the printed message, they could persuade people
to think diferently, and move them to action. This had significance in different spheres
of life.
V. Print and popular religious literature stimulated many distinctive individual
interpretations of faith even among little-educated working people. (See answer 20 for
explanation of this point)
15. What did the publishers do to persuade common people to welcome the printed
books?
The literacy rate in most European countries was very low until the twentieth century.
Therefore to persuade common people to welcome the printed books the printers began
publishing popular ballads and folk tales, ahd such books would be profusely illustrated
with pictures. These were then sung and recited at gatherings in villages and in taverns in
towns.
16. How was the oral culture and print culture complimentary to each other? Or How
did oral culture enter print and how was the printed material transmitted
orally?
i. Earlier, reading was restricted to the elités. Common people lived in a world of oral
culture. They heard sacred texts read out, ballads recited, and folk tales narrated.
Knowledge was transferred orally.
ii. Before the age of print, books were not only expensive but were a few in number. People
collectively heard a story, or saw a performance. These were converted in to books. Now
books could reach out to wider sections of people. If earlier there was a hearing public,
now a reading public came into being.
ii. The literacy rate in most European countries was very low until the twentieth century.
There fore to persuade common people to welcome the printed books the printers began
publishing popular ballads and folk tales, and such books would be profusely illustrated
with pictures. These were then sung and recited at gatherings in villages and in taverns in
towns. Thus print technology helped oral culture.
iv. Oral culture thus entered print and printed materials were orally transmitted. The line that
separated the oral and reading culture blurred and the hearing public and reading public
became intermingled.
17. Why was the new printed literature criticized?
i. Not everyone welcomed the printed book, and those whodid also had fears about it. Many
were anxious about the effects that the easier access to the printed word and the wider
circulation of books, could have on people's minds.
ii. Itwas feared that if there was no control over what was printed and read then rebellious
and irreligious thoughts might spread. If that happened, the authority of valuable"
literature would be destroyed.
 ii. Expressed by religious authorities and monarchs, as well as many writers and artists,this
anxiety was the basis of widespread criticism of the new printed literature that had began
to circulate.
18. Why did Martin Luther support print culture? OR How did printculture help
Martin Luther challenge the Catholic church? Why?
i. In 1517, the religious reformer Martin Luther printed Ninety-Five theses criticizing many
of the practices and rituals of the Roman Catholic Church and posted on achurch door in
Wittenberg. It challenged the Church to debate his ideas.
ii. Luther's writings were immediately reproduced in vast numbers and read widely. This led
to a division with in the Church and to the beginning of protestant reformation.
ii. Deeply grateful to print, Luther said, 'Printing is the ultimate gift of God and the greatest
one' because print brought about a new intellectual atmosphere and helped spread the
new ideas that led to the Reformation.
iv. Print created the possibility of wide circulation of ideas, and introduced a new world of
debate and discussion.
19. Whowas Manocchio? Why was he executed?
Manocchio was a miller in Italy in the sixteenth century. He began to read books that were
available in his locality. He reinterpreted the message of the Bible and formulated a view
of God and Creation that enraged the Roman CatholicChurch. The Roman Church declared
him as a heretic, since he spoke against the existing beliefs and practices, and was
ultimately executed.

20. How did print culture lead to the growth of dissenting ideas?
i. Print created the possibility of wide circulation of ideas, and introduced a new world of
debate and discussion.
i. Print and popular religious literature stimulated many distinctive individual
interpretations of faith even among little-educated working people.
ii. Print brought about a new intellectual atmosphere and helped spread the new ideas that
led to the Reformation.
21. Why did Roman Catholic Church turn against print culture and what did they do?
Or Why did the Catholic Church maintain an index of prohibited books from 1558?
i
In 1517, the religious refornmer Martin Luther printed Ninety-Five theses criticizing many
of the practices and rituals of the Roman Catholic Church and posted on achurch door in
Wittenberg. It challenged the Church to debate his ideas.
Manocchio a miller in Italy began to read books that were available in his locality. He
reinterpreted the message of the Bible and formulated a view of God and Creation which
was against the Roman Catholic Church, He was executed.
ii. The Roman Church, troubled by such effects of popular readings and questionings of
faith, imposed severe controls over publishers and booksellers and began to maintain an
Index of Prohibited Books from 1558.
Explain the effects of print culture in the religious sphere in early modern Europe.
Two answers above( 20 and 21)
22. How did print culture help develop a reading mania among the people in Europe?
i. Through the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, literacy rates went up in most parts of
Europe. Churches of different denominations set up schools in villages, carrying literacy
to peasants and artisans.
ii By the end of the eighteenth century, in some parts of Europe literacy rates were as high
as 60 to 80 per cent. As literacy and schools spread in European countries, there was a
virtual reading mania. People wanted books to read and printers produced books in
everincreasing numbers.
ii. New formsof popular literature appeared in print, targeting new audiences. Booksellers
employed peddlers whoroamed around villages, carrying little books for sale.There were
almanacs or ritualcalendars, along with ballads and folktales. But other forms
of reading matter, largely for entertainment, began to reach ordinary readers as Well. iv.
Then there were the romances, printed on four to six pages, and the more substantial
"histories' which were stories about the past. Books were of various sizes, serving many
different purposes and interests.
V.
Newspapers and journals carried information about wars and trade, as well as news of
developments in other places. Similarly, the ideas of scientists and philosophers now
became more accessible to the common people. Ancient and medieval scientific texts
were compiled and published, and maps and scientific diagrams were widely printed.
vi. When scientists likeIsaac Newton began to publish their discoveries, they could influence
a much wider circle of scientifically minded readers.
vi. The writings of thinkers such as Thomas Paine, Voltaire and Jean Jacques Rousseau were
also widely printed and read. Thus, their ideas about science, reason and rationality found
their way into popular litërature. (Explain 4 points wel)
How did the ideas of scientists and philosophers become more accessible to common
people after the beginning of print revolution in Europe? Write points v to vii .
23. What was the opinion of Louise-Sebastien Mercier about the printing press?
i. Louise-Sebastien Mercier, a novelist in eighteenth-century France, declared: The
printing press is the most powerful engine of progress and public opinion is the force that
willsweep despotism away.
i. In many of Mercier's novels, the heroes are transformed by acts of reading. They read
books, are lost in the world books and become enlightened in the process.
i. Convinced of the power of print in bringing enlightenment and destroying the basis of
despotism, Mercier proclaimed: "Tremble, therefore, tyrants of the world! Tremble before
the virtual writer!"
24. What was the common conviction about books by the mid-eighteenth century?
There was a common conviction that books were a means of spreading progress and
enlightenment. Many believed that books could change the world, liberate society from
despotism and tyranny, and herald a time when reason and intellect would rule. (eg. Point
iabove.)
25. Why did some people in the 18th century Europe think that print culture would bring
enlightenment and end despotism?
(Write the previous two answers and add point iv answer 14)
 conditions
26. What are the three types of arguments to prove that print culture createt
for French revolution?
Collextively, their
First: print popularized the ideas of the Enlightenment thinkers.and despotism They
vided a critical commentary on tradition, superstition
writings provi everything b jndgat
argued for the rule of reason rather than custom, and demanded that
through the application of reason and rationality.
ii. They attacked the sacred authority of the Church and the despotie werof the state, thus
tradition. The writings of Voltaire and
eroding the legitimacy of a social order based on
the worlkd tthrough new
Rousseau were ead widely; and those who ead these books saw
eyes, eyes that were questioning, critical and rational.
detate. All values, noms and
iii. Second: print created a new culture of dialogue and that had bome aware ot the
institutions were e-evaluated and discussed by a public
existing ideas and beliets. Within
power of reason, arnd recognized the need to question
this public culture, new ideas of social evolution came into being.
mocked the oyalty and criticized
iv. Third: By the 1780s, there were a number of books that existing social order. Cartoons
their morality. In the process, it raised questions about the
remained absorbed in luxurious lite
and caricatures typically suggested that the monarhy This literature circulated
while the common people suftered immense hardships.
the monarchy.
underground and led to the growth of hostile sentiments againstculture in the French
27. What wasthe counter argument regarding the role of print
Revolution?
However, we must remember that
There is no doubt that print helps the spread of ideas.
read the ideas of Voltaire and
people did not read just one kind of literature. lf they propaganda. They were not
Rousseau, they were also exposed to monarchical and Church ideas and rejected
influenced directly by everything they read or saw. They accepted some
directly shape their minds, but
others. They interpreted things their own way. Print did not
it did open up the possibility of thinking difterently.

and workers in the 19th century in

28. How did print culture influence women, children
Europe?
As primary education became compulsory from the late nineteenth century, children
of school textbooks became critical
became an important category of readers. Production
devoted to literature for children alone,
for the publishing industry. A children's press, new works as well as old fairy tales
was set up in France in 1857. This press published
and folk tales.
Penny magazines were especially
ii. Women became important as readers as well as writers. behaviour and housekeeping.
meant for women, and there were manuals teaching proper seen as important
When novels began to be written in the nineteenth century, women were
Jane Austen, the Bronte sisters,
readers. Some of the best-known novelists were women: woman: a
George Eliot. etc. Their writings became important in defining a new type of
power to think.
person with will, strength of personality, determination and the
iii. In the nineteenth century, lending libraries,in England became instruments for educating
white-collar workers, artisans andlower-middle-class people. Sometimes, self-educated
 the working day was gradually
working class people wrote for themselves. Afterhad some time for self-improvement
shortened from the mid-nineteenth century, workers autobiographies in large numbers.
and self-expression. They wrote political tracts and
29. Describe the growth of printculture meant for children.
years compiling
i. Write point (i) above ii. The Grimm Brothers in Germany spent was edited before the
traditional folk tales gathered from peasants. What they collected unsuitable
stories were published in a collection in 1812. Anything that was considered
for children or would appear vulgar to the elites, was not included in the published
version. Rural folk tales thus acquired a new form. In this way, print recorded old tales but
also changed them.
30. What were the major innovations that improved printing technology?
i. By the late eighteenth century, the press came to be made out of metal.
ii. By the mid-nineteenth century, Richard M. Hoe of New York had perfected the
powerdriven cylindrical press. This was capable of printing 8,000 sheets per hour. This
press was particularly useful for printing newspapers.
ii. In thelate nineteenth century, the offset press was developed which could print up to six
colours at a time.
iv. From the turn of the twentieth century,electrically operated presses accelerated printing
operations. Aseries of other developments followed. Methods of feeding paper improved,
the quality of plates became better, automatic paper reels and photoelectric controls of the
colour register were introduced.
V. In the 1920s in England, popular works were sold in cheap series, called the Shilling
Series. The dust cover or the book jacket is also atwentieth-century innovation. With the
onset of the Great Depression in the 1930s,publishers feared adecline in book purchases.
Tosustain buying, they brought out cheap paperback editions.
31. State any two strategies developed by printers and publishers to sell their products.
1. They serialized popular novels to arouse interest among readers. They compiled
traditional folk tales gathered from peasants. What they collected was edited before the
stories were published in a collection in 1812.
ii In the 1920s in England, popular works were sold in cheap series, called the Shilling
Series. The dust cover or the book jacket is also a twentieth-century innovation.
iii. With the onset of the Great Depression in the 1930s, publishers feared a decline in book
purchases. To sustain buying, they brought out cheap paperback editions.
32. How were the ideas and information written before the age of print in India? Or
Write a short note on the tradition of manuscripts in India. Why was it not used in
everyday life?
i. India had a very rich and old tradition of handwritten manuscripts in Sanskrit, Arabic,
Persian, as well as in various vernacular languages. Manuscripts were copied on palm
would
leaves or on handmade paper. Pages were sometimes beautifully illustrated. They
be either pressed between wooden covers or sewn together to ensure preservation.
Manuscripts continued to be produced even after the introduction of print, down to the
late nineteenth century.
 ii. Manuscripts, however, were highly expensive and fragile. They had to be handled
carefully, and they could not be read easily as the script was written in different styles. So
manuscripts were not widely used in everyday life. ii. Teachers dictated portions texts
from memory and students wrote them down. Many, thus became literate with out ever
reading any kind of texts.
Why were manuscripts not widely used in every day life? Give three reasons.
33. How did the printing technique begin in Ihdia? Explain.
i. The printing press first came to Goa with Portuguese missionaries in the mid-sixteenth
century. Jesuit priests learnt Konkani and printed several tracts.
ii. By 1674, about 50 books had been printed in the Konkani and in Kanara languages.
iii. Catholic priests printed the first Tamil book in 1679 at Cochin, and in 1713 the first
Malayalam book was printed by them. iv. By 1710, Dutch Protestant missionaries had
printed 32 Tamil texts, many of them translations of older works.
v. By the close of theeighteenth century, a number of newspapers and journals appeared in
print. There were Indians, to0, who began to publish Indian newspapers. The first to appear
was the weekly Bengal Gazette, brought out by Gangadhar Bhattacharya, who was close
to Rammnohun Roy.
34. Whowas James Augustus Hickey? Why was he persecuted by the British?
James Augustus Hickey was the editor of the Bengal Gazette, a weekly magazine from
1780. Hickey published alot of advertisements, including those, related to the import and
sale of slaves.But he also published a lot of gossip about the East IndiaCompany's senior
officials in India. Enraged by this, Governor-General Warren Hastings persecuted Hickey,
counter the
and encouraged the publication of officially sanctioned newspapers that could
flow of information that damaged the image of the colonial government.

issues?
35. What role did print culture play on public debates on religious
i. There were intense debates around religious issues from the early nineteenth century.
Different groups confronted the changes happening within colonial society in different
of different religions
ways, and offered a variety of new interpretations of the beliefs
while others countered the
i. Some criticized existing practices and campaigned for reform,public and in print. Printed
arguments of reformers. These debates were. carried out in
they shaped the nature of the
tracts and newspapers not only spread the new ideas, but discussions and express their
debate. A wider public could now participate in these public
views. New ideas emerged through these clashes of opinions.
movements? Or How did
36. What role did print culture play in the religious reform Or What did the
ideas?
religious reformers make use of print culture to spread their
spread of print culture mnean to the reformers?
i. This was a time of intense controversies between
social and religious reformers and the
monotheism, Brahmanical
Hindu orthodoxy over matters like widow immolation,
priesthood and idolatry. Reformers made use of newspapers to project the ill effects of
liberty, equality and fraternity
superstitious beliefs. They spread democratic ideals like
among the public.
Kaumudi from 1821 and the Hindu
ii. In Bengal, Rammohun Roy published the, Samnb¡d
opinions.
orthodoxy commissioned the Samachar Chandrika to oppose his
 Jam-i-Jahan Nama and Shamsul
111. From 1822, two Persian newspapers were published, Samachar, made its
Akhbar. In the same year, a Gujarati newspaper, the Bombay
appearance.
37. What were the steps taken by the Ulemas' to defend their religion?
i. The Ulemas' were Muslim theologians who feared that colonial rulers would encourage
conversion, change the Muslim personal laws. To counter this, they used cheap
lithographic presses, published Persian and Urdu translations of Holy Scriptures, and
printed religious newspapers and tracts.
i. The Deoband Semninary, founded in 1867, published thousands upon thousands of fatwas
telling Muslim readers how to conduct themselves in their everyday lives, and explaining
the meanings of Islamic doctrines.
iii. Allthrough the nineteenth century, a number of Muslim sects and seminaries appeared,
each with a different interpretation of faith, each keen on enlarging its following and
countering the influence of its opponents. Urdu print helped them conduct these battles in
public.
38. Name any twoprinting pres established to publish Hindu religious texts in
vernacular languages.
From the 1880s, the Naval Kishore Press at Lucknow and the Shri Venkateshwar Press
in Bombay published numerous religious texts in vernaculars.
39. How and to what extent did print encourage reading Hindu religious text in
Vernacular languages?
i. The first printed edition of the Ramcharitmanas of Tulsidas, a sixteenth-century text,
came out from Calcutta in 1810.
ii By the mid-nineteenth century, cheap lithographic editions flooded north Indian markets.
ii. From the 1880s, the Naval Kishore Press at Lucknow and the Shri Venkateshwar Press in
Bombay published numerous religious texts in vernaculars.
iv. In their printed and portable form, these could be read casily by the faithful at any place
and time. They could also be read out to large groups of illiterate men and women.
40. State any two results of using printed texts on religious matters.
i. Religious texts reached a very wide circle of people, encouraging discussions, debates
and controversies within and among different religions.
ii. Print not only stimulated the publication of conflicting opinions amongst communities,
but it also connected communities and people in different parts of India.
ii. Newspapers conveyed news from one place to another, creating pan-Indian identities.
iv. In their printed and portable form, these could be read easily by the faithful at any place
and time. They could also be read out to large groups of illiterate men and women.
41. Describe the development of visual culture in print media by the end of 19th century
in
India.
1. By the end of the nineteenth century, a new visual culture was taking shape. With the
setting up of an increasing number of printing presses, visual images could be easily
reproduced in multiple copies.
 ii. Painters like Raja Ravi Varma produced images for mass circulation. Poor wood
engravers who made woodblocks, set up shop ncar the letterpresses, and were employed
by print shops.
ii. Cheap prints and calendars, casily available in the bazaar, could be bought even by the
poor to decorate the walls of their homes or places of work. These prints began shaping
popular ideas about modernity and tradition, religion and politics, and society and culture.
iv. By the 1870s, caricatures and cartoons were being published in journals and newspapers,
commenting on social and political issues. Some caricatures ridiculed the educated
Indians' fascination with Western tastes and clothes, while others expressed the fear of
social change. There were imperial caricatures that ridiculed nationalists, as well as
nationalist cartoons criticizing imperial rule.
42. What did women mean by the spread of print culture? Or How did the spread of
print culture improve the status of women in India in the 19th century?
i. The status of women improved in the Indian society. Lives and feelings of women began
to be written in particularly vivid and intense ways. Women's reading, therefore,
increased enormously in middle-class homes.
ii. Liberal husbands and fathers began educating their womenfolk at home, and sent them to
schools when women's schools were set up in the cities and towns after the midnineteenth
century.
women should be
iii. Many journals began carrying writings by women, and explained whymatter, which could
educated. They also carried a syllabus and attached suitable reading
be used for home-based schooling.
prohibition of the
iv. Printed books helped women to emerge as rebels and defied the
conservative Hindus.
published in
V. Many women writers were emerged. Auto biography of Amar Jiban was
1876 in Bengalilanguage.
vi. Bengaliwomen Kailashbhashini wrote books highlighting the experience of women.
of upper
vii. In Maharashtra Tarabai Shinde and Pandita Ramabai wrote about miserable life
class women especially widows.
education for
43. Why did the conservatives among Hindus and Muslims prohibit
widowed and
women? Conservative Hindus believed that a literate girl would be
Muslims feared that educated women would be corrupted by reading Urdu romances.
education for women
44. State two examples of rebelwomen who defied prohibition of
by the conservative society.
learnt to read and write in
i. Agirlin a conservative Muslim family of north India secretly understand.
Urdu. Her family wanted her to read only the Arabic Quran, which she did not
So she insisted on learning to reada language that was her own.
i. In East Bengal, in theearly nineteenth century, Rashsundari Debi, a young married girl
her kitchen. Later, she wrote
in avery orthodox household, learnt to read in the secrecy of
It was the first fulllength
her autobiography Amar Jiban which was published in 1876. biography
autobiography published in the Bengali language. (Name the first auto
published in Bengali language.)
culture in the 19th
45. Examinethe role / contribution of women in the spread of print
century in India.
 women like
(Write the answer above and continue..) iii. From the 1860s, a few Bengali
Kailashbashini Debi wrote books highlighting the experiences of women-about how women
were imprisoned at home, kept in ignorance, forced to do hard domestic labour and treated
unjustly by the very people they served.
iv. In the 1880s, in present-day Maharashtra, Tarabai Shinde and Pandita Ramabai wrote
with passionate anger about the miserable lives of upper-caste Hindu women, especially
widows. A
woman in a Tamil novelexpressed what reading meant to women whowere
so greatly confined by social regulations.
V, Hindi printing began seriously only from. the 1870s. Soon, a large segment of it was
devoted to the education of women. In the early twentieth century, journals, written for
and sometimes edited by women, became extremely popular. They discussed issues like
women'seducation, widowhood, widow remarriage and the national movement.
vi. In Punjab, to0, a similar folk iterature was widely printed from the early twentieth
century. Ram Chaddha published the fast-selling Istri Dharm Vichar to teach women how
to be obedient wives. The Khalsa Tract Society published cheap booklets with a similar
message. Many of these were in the form of dialogues about the qualities of a good
Woman.

vii. In Bengal, an entire area in central Calcutta - the Battala - was devoted to the printing of
popular books. Here you could buy cheap editions of religious tracts and scriptures, as
well as literature that was considered obscene and scandalous. By the late nineteenth
century, a lot of these books were being profusely illustrated with woodcuts and coloured
lithographs.Pedlars took the Battala publications to homes, enabling women to read therm
in their leisure time.
What were the issues / messages projected by the printed books published in the
19th century in India? (Answer any 4 points above)
46. How did print culture help poor people? Or What were the effects of the spread of
print culture for poor people in ninetèenth century India? Or Whatdid poor
people mean by the spread of print culture?

i. Poor people wanted printed books should be affordable and available cheaply. They
wanted it as a mnedium to fight against injustice and discrimination. They wanted to
spread literacy and prevent bad habits like drinking. They wanted to make use of printed
matters to spread nationalism.
Madras towns
i. Very cheap small books were brought to markets in nineteenth-century
and sold at crossroads, allowing poor people traveling to markets to buy them.
iii. Public libraries were set up from the early twentieth century, expanding the access to
books. These libraries were located mostly in cities and towns, and at times in
prosperous villages.
began to bewritten
iv. From the late nineteenth century, issue[of caste discrimination
pioneer of "low
about in many printed tracts and essays. Jyotiba Phule, the Maratha
system in his Gulangiri
caste' protest movements, wrote about the injustices ofthe caste
(1871).
 V. In the twentieth century, B.R. Ambedkar in
Maharashtra and E.V. Ramaswamy Naicker
in Madras, better known as Periyar, wrote powerfully on
caste and their writings were
read by people all over India. Local protest movements and sects also created a lot of
popular journals and tracts criticizing ancient scriptures and envisioning a new and just
future.
47. Name any four authors who wrote for the poor people of the society. How Were
restrictions imposed on the Indian Press? Explain with examples. Answer: last two
points above, the first point below and Answer 49 below.
48. Deseribe the contribution of factory workers in the spread of print culture.
i. Kashibaba, a Kanpur mill worker, wrote and published Chhote Aur Bade Ka Sawal in
1938to show the links between caste and class exploitation.
Chakr
ii. Ihe poems of anotherKanpur millworker, who wrote under the name of Sudarshan
between 1935 and 1955, were brought together and published in a collection called Sacchi
Kavitayan.
educate themselves,
i1. By the 1930s, Bangalore cotton Mill workers set up libraries to reformers
following the example of Bombay workers. These were sponsored by social
sometimes, to
who tried to restrict excessive drinking among them, to bring literacy and,
propagate the message of nationalism.
the press.
49. Examine the effort made by the British in India to impose censorship on
regulations to control press
i. By the 1820s, the Calcutta Supreme Court passed certain newspapers that would
freedom and the Company began encouraging publication of
celebrate British rule.
vernacular newspapers,
ii. In 1835, faced with urgent petitions by editors of English and
Governor-General Bentinck agreed to revise press laws.
modeled on the Irish Press Laws. It
iii. In 1878, the Vernacular Press Act was passed, reports and editorials in the
provided the government with extensive rights to censor
regular track of the vernacular
vernacular press. From now on the government kept
was judged as seditious, the
newspapers published in different provinces. When a report press was lible to be seized
newspaper was warned, and if the warning was ignored, the
and the printing machinery confiscated.
national feelings among the
50. Describe the role of nationalist news papers in spreading
print cultureassisted the growth
people in the early 20th century. OR Explain how
of nationalism in India.
papers reported on colonial misrule and encouraged nationalist activities. News
The news
i.
ill effect of British rule and to develop
papers, weeklies and books were used to project the written by Prem Chand revealed how
patriotic feeling among people. Neel Darpan a book Orissa.
the British exploited the Indigo peasants in Bihar and
provoked militant protest. This in turn led to a
ii. Attempts to throttle nationalist criticism ideas of nationalist leaders were
renewed cycle of persecution and protests. The When Punjab revolutionaries
communicated to the people through these newspapers. sympathy about them in his
were deported in 1907, Balgangadhar Tilak wrote with great
Kesari. This led to his imprisonment in 1908, provoking in turn widespread protests all
over India.
51. Why did the British Government curtailthe freedom of Press after 1857 in India?
The British Government curtailed the freedom of Press after 1857 in India because the
vernacular newspapers were becoming more and more nationalists after the revolt of 1857
Or The British feared that the news papers willpublish articles that are harmful to British
interests. Or. The British Government curtailed the freedom of Press after 1857 in India
to stop the spreading of nationalist ideas.
52. Describe any two popular themes on which women writers in England wrotein the
19th century.
The popular themes were the following:
i. Domestic life: In the 18th and 19th centuries novel began exploring the worldof
women their emotions and identities their experiences and problems. The
principal theme about women were allowed to speak with authority was
domestic life. They wrote their experience and got due recognition.
i. Proper behavior and house keeping: Penny magazines published between
1832 and 1835 were meant for women. It was primarily aimed at the working
class. There were manuals published, teaching proper behaviour and house
keeping.
iv. New type of women: Some of the best known novelists were women: Jane Austen, the
Bronte Sisters, George Eliot etc. Their writings became important in defining a new type
of women- women with will power, strength with personality, determination and power
to think. They even supported feminist movements.