The History of the Book in 17th and 18th Century Europe

 Offered by Harvard University
哈佛大學課程

歡迎來到17 18 世紀書籍在歐洲的歷史這門課，在這堂課裡，我們會學到書本的特質，書本在17 18世紀法國扮演的角色，還有文學的產生作為現代文化的形式，我們會關注於書當作物品的重要性，還有文學的原始原料─紙張。藉由了解紙張的本質和製作過程，我們可以開始了解書的特性和他們運作的方式。

我們也會檢視書本如何在17 18世紀的法國扮演重要角色，當時正是法國最輝煌的年代，在現代的印刷方式被發明前，法律的典籍是備受尊崇的，這些書籍是要被國王特准，所以擔保了品質也凸顯其正統性。為了要有資格成為正式典籍，書本必須要通過檢驗制度。當時啟蒙年代大部分的書籍通常是沒有通過這樣的檢驗制度的，這些書通常都在國外印製，經由廣大的地下傳播系統。

此外，我們也會探討文學的出現當作是現代文化形式，我們會來研究十八世紀英國的情況，十八世紀時因為第一個著作權法在1710的出現，高識字率，蓬勃的消費者市場，早熟的期刊書冊市場，和集聚倫敦的創業家印刷產業讓新的獨立作者崛起，Samuel Johnson 是其代表人物，我們會仔細的檢視這個新現象，我們將會在哈佛大學圖書館看到Samuel Johnson的 Hyde 收藏書和紙。

Photo by Tamás Mészáros from Pexels

Welcome to The History of the Book in 17th and 18th Century Europe. In this module, we will learn about the physical qualities of books, the role of books in 17th and 18th century France, and the emergence of literature as a modern form of culture.

We will focus on the importance of books as physical objects and the raw material of literature–namely, paper. By considering the nature of paper and how it was made during the early modern period–from Gutenberg’s time to the early nineteenth century–we can begin to understand the character of books and the way they worked.

We will also examine how books fit into the legal and political system of France under the Old Regime during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, when the French set standards imitated throughout Europe. Before modern copyright, legal books had privileges, granted by the king, which provided a guarantee of quality as well as certification of orthodoxy. To qualify for a privilege, books had to be approved by censors. Uncensored books, including most of the works of the Enlightenment, were usually produced outside France and circulated in the kingdom through a vast underground distribution system.

In addition, we will address the emergence of literature as a modern form of culture, which can be studied best in eighteenth-century England. The first copyright law (1710), a high rate of literacy, a booming consumer market, a precocious periodical industry, and entrepreneurial publishing concentrated in London led to the development of a new kind of author–the independent writer. Samuel Johnson epitomized this new phenomenon. This module will allow you to get a close look at him and everything he represented by providing access to the Hyde Collection of Johnson’s books and papers in Houghton Library at Harvard.