Print Media With The 15th And 16th Century British Society Changes

The later period of the fifteenth century and the initial stage of the sixteenth century was a period of sweeping social change in England. It was also a time that was ripe for the development of quicker, more efficient means of communication. Thereupon printing media followed naturally and necessarily, and the intellectual life of England entered upon a new phase gradually.After summarizing the perspective, method and meaning of this study in the Chapter I, the Chapter II goes on to discuss the emergence and early history of the printing in England. Through concentrating on the life and printing business of William Caxton--the first English printer, it illustrates the initial changes imposed by printing media during the later of fifteenth century, such as the transition of palace culture and the standardization of English language.The examination in the Chapter III begins with a consideration of the humanists'private ownership of printed books. It is sufficient to state that the scholars turned their attention towards language and the ancient classical authors. Printed text-books made it easier to modify the structure of the curriculum and to adapt teaching to new requirements.The Chapter IV chronicles the use of this medium by the regimes of English kings and many reformers. Specific examples show how the use of the new presses enabled these people to move beyond the limits hand copying had imposed and thus to pose new challenges to traditional political and religious institutions.Through dealing with presswork of three major movements: religion, administration and culture & education, the Chapter V demonstrates how the use of prints of vernacular language impulsed the process of the formation of national state in England.This dissertation concludes with Chapter VI, points out that the history of printing is an integral part of the general history of civilization. Fully illustrated and annotated, the dissertation affirms the thesis that the advent of printing media entailed a communication innovation in the history of communication of England. Meanwhile, as the momentous vehicle for conveyance of ideas during the 15th and the 16th centuries, printing touched on and often penetrated almost every sphere of social change. However, the coming of printed texts was not a communication revolution. Its influence should be restricted by the level of the development of the whole society. In a word, printing media was not only the precondition, but also the result of social change.