Experiencing Political Texts is an historically-focused project centring on early modern works, but it also raises questions about the communication of political ideas today. The reading group that met at Newcastle's Literary and Philosophical Society between October 2022 and June 2023 was an ideal forum in which to explore these issues. This blogpost reflects on some of the key themes that emerged out of our discussions.
Infographic from the reading group session on Books as Physical Objects. Produced by Nifty Fox Creative 2023.
One of the most inspiring of our nine sessions was that focused on the materiality of books. We each brought in a book of our own and talked about how we engage with it as a physical object. The examples were diverse, including: a family bible with annotations; a hymnal; a copy of Jane Eyre that had been used for teaching; and a battered favourite novel. We discussed the idea that reading is a multi-sensory experience and that we often want a book not just to be a pleasure to read, but also a pleasure to look at and to hold. This led to a deeper investigation of the ways in which different aspects of the material form impact on the reading experience. Specific details such as the size of the margins, the colour and thickness of the paper, the size of the type, and the tightness of the binding can all affect how easy (and therefore pleasurable) the book is to read. We also saw examples of books where the layout and design are themselves integral to the text - and even to the argument.
Viewing reading as a multi-sensory experience led us to open up the question of accessibility, and to recognise that this might work differently for different readers. Most members of the group preferred reading physical books to digital editions. In this case what makes a book accessible are features like its weight, size, and binding, which determine whether it is easy to hold and whether it lies flat when laid down. Yet, we acknowledged that for certain groups of people a digital copy might be more accessible. Not only do audio books make reading an option for the visually impaired, but even when reading on a device the ability to vary the size of the type or the colour of the display can also be an advantage for some readers. We also noted that this is not just about vision. Since an e-reader or a smartphone is lighter than most books, it might also be a better option for readers with physical weaknesses or impairments.
Infographic from the reading group session on Dialogues. Produced by Nifty Fox Creative 2022.
In other sessions we explored other aspects of accessibility. For example, the ways in which genre can affect how easy (or not) it is to engage with the ideas being presented. We discussed (and disagreed) about whether novels are a more accessible way of conveying political ideas and theories than straight political treatises or pamphlets. We also considered the ways in which dialogues can be used to engage the reader and draw them into the argument.
There was more agreement on the fact that the original copies of early modern texts are less accessible to modern audiences than recent editions. Issues such as the typeface, the size of the work, and especially the use of the long 's' made some of the extracts we discussed difficult for the group members to read. Here too, though, there was an appreciation that different features can pull in different directions. A small format and cheap paper might have made an early modern text more accessible in terms of being affordable and portable, but the resulting dense type and thin paper makes for a less accessible reading experience.
An example of an early modern newspaper with densely packed type. Image from Ebay.
E-readers and digital texts featured in our discussions about accessibility, but technology was also a more general theme throughout our conversations. Group members recognised that the development of new technologies has always impacted on the production and reception of texts, not least the invention of the printing press and subsequent development of new printing techniques. One participant noted the contrast between old newspapers that were organised in columns of dense text and modern online versions which include lots of visual images and even video content. There was some disagreement, however, about the impact this has. While some felt that this shift suggests that our engagement with news is more superficial today than in the past, others pointed out that we can think more deeply if we have less material to engage with than if we are overwhelmed by information. It was noted, though, that there is research that suggests that the rise of social media is impacting on our attention spans - and even has the potential to change our brains - with use of social media leading to a need for more frequent dopamine 'hits'.
Infographic from the reading group session on Images. Produced by Nifty Fox Creative, 2022.
Technology also plays into another of our key themes, that of power and authority, with tech companies wielding new forms of power over what information people receive. The question of who has the power and authority to communicate political information proved particularly stimulating. When discussing images and novels we were somewhat troubled by the power of the creators who were often imposing their visions on others. Our session on coffee houses involved reading early-modern criticisms of these spaces, which often hinged on the anxiety generated by coffee house 'wits' expressing their views in public, despite not having social standing - or even taste. The parallel with social media influencers today was not lost on the group.
Title page from The Craftsman. Taken from Eighteenth-Century Collections Online.
The question of who decides what is acceptable, and what is not, was also reflected in our discussion of free speech in our final session. One contributor noted that there has been a shift in recent years away from restrictions on free speech being imposed from above to them rising from below (from the audience rather than the authorities). The example given was of students in schools or universities objecting to the racist content of set texts. A lively debate followed on just where we should draw the line. Early modern people grappled with the same issues. The essay from The Craftsman that we read was clear that the only topics where free speech is relevant are government and religion, since these 'are the only points, on which any Tyrant or arbitrary Prince would desire to restrain our thoughts' (Caleb D'Anvers, The Craftsman: Being a Critique of the Times. London, 1727. No. II, 9th December). Yet even here a distinction was to be drawn between, on the one hand, undermining 'the fundamentals of Government and Religion' or 'calumniating [making malicious false statements about] persons in high power' which were not to be tolerated and, on the other:
examining the principles of our faith by the test of Scripture and Reason; of declaring
our judgment in all disputable matters, and of exposing the corruptions,
impositions, and ridiculous claims of some Clergymen; ... giving our opinion, in the
same manner, of all political transactions, of debating the great affairs of peace and
war; of freely delivering our sentiments concerning any Laws which are in
agitation, and of modestly offering our reasons, for the repeal of those, which are
found to be oppressive; ... of setting forth maladministration, and pleading for the
redress of grievances; of exposing mismanagement and corruption in high places,
and discovering the secret designs of wicked and ambitious Men.
The problem, of course, is that it is difficult to draw a clear line between ad hominem attacks and the exposure of corruption and maladministration. It was also not lost on the reading group members that there is irony in the fact that we have spent the last nine months discussing politics and the communication of political information in an institution - the Newcastle Literary and Philosophical Society - which at its origin banned any discussion of politics or religion at its meetings.