Readers and Consumers of Popular Print

Abstract

Abstract This article explores the theoretical strands and methodological possibilities for the study of the consumption of popular print in the pre-modern age. The first section explores general approaches and cross-disciplinary angles to the field. The second section looks at core methodologies in approaching the multi-faceted issue of consumption of popular print. The third section offers a comparative discussion of pan-European themes, including literacy and schooling, the sociality of reading and consumption, the weight of restrictions and emancipation in regulating access to print, and the materialities of consumption as a physical, multisensory experience.