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Popular Culture(s) - Orality and print

Q: What did John Bunyan embody?

John Bunyan, the radical sectarian whose visionary Pilgrim's Progress was to remain a best-seller for two centuries, embodies the transforming potential of print; his story-telling flair had developed from the chapbook adventures he had loved as a child.

4 important questions on Popular Culture(s) - Orality and print

What encouraged greater literacy?

The spread of print encouraged greater literacy, especially in north-western Europe, which in turn further stimulated the growth of the press.

What were ballads? What tone did they have?

Ballads, set out in simple verse and designed to be sung to popular tunes, were a multimedia form, combining print, image and music.
Most of the black-letter ballads and chapbooks that flourished in England were equally conservative.
Ballads told of royal coronations, love stories, drunken revelries, murders, monsters and adventures at sea.

What changed in the English almanacs in the 1640s?

From the 1640s English almanacs took on a very different character, offering rival political, religious and social views that reflected the divisions within society and encouraged a wider political awareness.

What did John Bunyan embody?

John Bunyan, the radical sectarian whose visionary Pilgrim's Progress was to remain a best-seller for two centuries, embodies the transforming potential of print; his story-telling flair had developed from the chapbook adventures he had loved as a child.

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Early Modern History

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