A chapbook was a small, inexpensive book sold in Europe, often for a penny, making it accessible to ordinary people, including the poor. It contained stories, ballads, folktales or practical information, serving both entertainment and educational purposes for a wide audience.
Read the given text and answer the following questions: New forms of popular literature appeared in print, targeting new booksellers employed peddlars who roamed around villages, carrying little books for sale. There were almanacs or ritual calendars, along with ballads and folktales. But other forms of reading matters, largely for entertainment, began to reach ordinary readers as well. In England, penny chapbooks were carried by petty peddlars known as chapmen and sold for a penny, so that even the poor could buy them. In France, were the ‘Biliotheque Bleue’ which were low – priced small books printed on poor quality paper and bound in cheap blue covers. Then there were the romances, printed on four to six pages and the more substantial ‘histories’ printed on four to six pages and the more substantial ‘histories’ which were stories about the past. Books were of various sizes, serving many different purposes and interests. (i) Evaluate briefly the term ‘Chapbook’. (45 words) (ii) Describe the role of peddlers in the distribution of popular literature in villages. (80 words) (iii) Write about the new forms of literature that were introduced in Europe to attract new readers. (80 words)
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(i) A chapbook was a small, inexpensive book sold in Europe, often for a penny, making it accessible to ordinary people, including the poor. It contained stories, ballads, folktales or practical information, serving both entertainment and educational purposes for a wide audience.
(ii) Peddlers played a crucial role in distributing popular literature to villages. They carried small, affordable books, chapbooks, almanacs and ritual calendars from town to town. By selling these books door-to-door, they ensured that even people in remote areas could access reading material. Their efforts helped spread stories, knowledge and cultural information, making literature more widely available and creating a reading habit among ordinary villagers who otherwise had little exposure to printed books.
(iii) New forms of literature in Europe targeted ordinary readers with affordable, entertaining books. These included chapbooks, penny books and small histories about the past. France had the ‘Bibliotheque Bleue’ with low-cost books in blue covers. Short romances and ballads, often printed on a few pages, catered to diverse tastes. Almanacs and ritual calendars provided practical information. Such publications made reading accessible, engaging and enjoyable for a broad audience, spreading both entertainment and knowledge beyond the elite classes.