Readers' Liberation

The Literary Agenda

Jonathan Rose

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English

Oxford University Press
25 January 2018

Literature, Poetry & Criticism; Literary studies: general; Ethical issues: censorship; Philosophy & theory of education; Media, information & communication industries

Series: The Literary Agenda

The Literary Agenda is a series of short polemical monographs about the importance of literature and of reading in the wider world and about the state of literary education inside schools and universities. The category of 'the literary' has always been contentious. What is clear, however, is how increasingly it is dismissed or is unrecognised as a way of thinking or an arena for thought. It is sceptically challenged from within, for example, by the sometimes rival claims of cultural history, contextualized explanation, or media studies. It is shaken from without by even greater pressures: by economic exigency and the severe social attitudes that can follow from it; by technological change that may leave the traditional forms of serious human communication looking merely antiquated. For just these reasons this is the right time for renewal, to start reinvigorated work into the meaning and value of literary reading.

For the Internet and digitial generation, the most basic human right is the freedom to read. The Web has indeed brought about a rapid and far-reaching revolution in reading, making a limitless global pool of literature and information available to anyone with a computer. At the same time, however, the threats of censorship, surveillance, and mass manipulation through the media have grown apace.

Some of the most important political battles of the twenty-first century have been fought--and will be fought--over the right to read. Will it be adequately protected by constitutional guarantees and freedom of information laws? Or will it be restricted by very wealthy individuals and very powerful institutions? And given increasingly sophisticated methods of publicity and propaganda, how much of what we read can we believe?

This book surveys the history of independent sceptical reading, from antiquity to the present. It tells the stories of heroic efforts at self-education by disadvantaged people in all parts of the world. It analyzes successful reading promotion campaigns throughout history (concluding with Oprah Winfrey) and explains why they succeeded. It also explores some disturbing current trends, such as the reported decay of attentive reading, the disappearance of investigative journalism, 'fake news', the growth of censorship, and the pervasive influence of advertisers and publicists on the media--even on scientific publishing.

For anyone who uses libraries and Internet to find out what the hell is going on, this book is a guide, an inspiration, and a warning.

By: Jonathan Rose
Imprint: Oxford University Press
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 196mm, Width: 129mm, Spine: 13mm
Weight: 246g
ISBN: 9780198723554
ISBN 10: 0198723555
Series: The Literary Agenda
Pages: 240
Publication Date: 25 January 2018
Audience: College/higher education , Further / Higher Education
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

A Very Brief Preface 1: Wrestling with the Author 2: Student Power 3: Up From Middlebrow 4: Dreamers of the Ghetto 5: Shakespeare in Prison 6: On Not Believing What You Read 7: Fayned News 8: Death to Gradgrind More Reading About Reading

Jonathan Rose is William R. Kenan Professor of History at Drew University. He edits the journal Book History, and he was the founding president of the Society for the History of Authorship, Reading, and Publishing (SHARP). His books include The Literary Churchill: Author, Reader, Actor, The Intellectual Life of the British Working Classes, The Holocaust and the Book: Destruction and Preservation, and (with Simon Eliot) A Companion to the History of the Book.

Reviews for Readers' Liberation: The Literary Agenda

Readers' Liberation would make an excellent text for most courses in English, communication, history, and education. It is also highly recommended as a public read or for book clubs. * Diane Martinez, Techincal Communication * I will be recommending it, not only to the students and colleagues who will learn much from its scholarship, but also to those most cynical about the value of the humanities in the modern world. * Katie Halsey, Library & Information History *