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Changes to Print Culture

Changes to Print Culture

One important change in 18th century London print trades was the inclusion of women in the process. Women participated in print culture not only as authors and readers but as printers, booksellers and producers of the material. These various jobs represented a range of women’s activities and roles as makers of modern print culture. Women were most involved in the distribution of printed materials, but also worked as engravers, illustrators, and binders. Additionally, it is noted that the recorded presence of women’s activity represents only the tip of their actual involvement in the process.

This change in production of materials led to a change in how “authorship” was viewed. The integration of a variety of processes and producers led to the idea that authorshipwas not a solitary activity. It was the product of a communications circuit, which included the reader, writer, printer and publisher as part of the authorship process. Without any particular part of this cycle, the authored materials would not be printed or available for public consumption. Feminists benefit from this version of authorship and the literary marketplace because it maximizes the behind-the-scenes role that many women had in the printing process. By attributing authorship to all parties, it maintains the importance of the entire circuit, in contrast to popularizing the author alone.