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The Open University

History of reading: An introduction to reading in the past

The Open University via OpenLearn

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Overview

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This free course, History of reading: An introduction to reading in the past, consists of a series of essays, drawn from material contained in the Reading Experience Database, that illustrate different aspects of reading in Britain during the period from 1450 to 1945. These essays are designed for you as the reader to dip in and dip out, allowing you to pick which essays best suits your purpose.

Syllabus

  • Introduction
  • Learning outcomes
  • 1 Reading the English Bible
  • 1 Reading the English Bible
  • 2 Charles Dickens and his readers
  • 2 Charles Dickens and his readers
  • 3 Jane Austen’s readers
  • 3 Jane Austen’s readers
  • 4 A famous novel and its readers: Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre (1847)
  • 4 A famous novel and its readers: Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre (1847)
  • 5 Childhood reading in the 1870s and 1880s: the recollections of Molly Hughes
  • 5 Childhood reading in the 1870s and 1880s: the recollections of Molly Hughes
  • 6 Reading and World War I
  • 6 Reading and World War I
  • 7 Reading places
  • 7 Reading places
  • 8 Reading while travelling
  • 8 Reading while travelling
  • 9 Samuel Pepys: diarist, book collector and reader
  • 9 Samuel Pepys: diarist, book collector and reader
  • 10 Robert Louis Stevenson’s reading
  • 10 Robert Louis Stevenson’s reading
  • 11 Reading Culture in the Victorian Underworld
  • 11 Reading Culture in the Victorian Underworld
  • Conclusion
  • Acknowledgements

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Reviews

5.0 rating, based on 1 Class Central review

4.8 rating at OpenLearn based on 10 ratings

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  • Profile image for KYLE DANISE RAYRAY
    KYLE DANISE RAYRAY
    From the perspective of a lazy reader that does not bother researching or learning about backgrounds, this piqued my interest having heard of interesting takes on the authors and the events. The course felt easy to digest as it gave an ample amount of information to absorb, to not be overwhelmed, and sure, there were plenty of wordplay, but that said a lot about the knowledge on the course's coverages. I am not one to read courses in order, but I gave this one a shot- seeing that the course begins with Reading the English Bible and ending with the Reading Culture made me curious regarding the order of the course's contents.

    This was worth the time and read for History and Literature lovers.
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