Reading: A Cultural Practice (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9781526136947)

Why do we read, and have we always read in the same way? Reading: A cultural practice uses a rich variety of literary and visual sources to explore how reading has changed, and continues to change, in response to new technologies and shifting social pressures. Drawing on medieval illustrations, classic fiction, the art and literature of the Bloomsbury Group, and contemporary e-culture, the book shows that there is no single, unchanging thing called 'reading'--instead, it is something that mutates over time. Throughout history, ways of reading, and theories of reading, have been shaped by religious and educational institutions. This continues to be true, but current approaches to reading are also conditioned by debates over digital culture and social media use. Reading: A cultural practice re-frames these contemporary preoccupations by offering a long view on how our notions of books and reading alter according to social and historical context.

Author: Vincent Quinn
ISBN-10: 1526136945
ISBN-13: 9781526136947
Publisher: Manchester University Press
Language: English
Published: 06/12/2020
Pages: 224
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 1.09lbs
Size: 9.21h x 6.14w x 0.56d

Review Citation(s):
Choice 02/01/2022