Saturday, April 30, 2016

Z IS FOR ZINES

     For the last time, stop being so literal-minded!  (Get it?  "For the last time," because this is Z and the Challenge is now over?)  There were no actual 16th-century zines.  Come on!  Moveable type had only been invented in 1439!  But by the early 1500's, pamphlets had become a thing, and from there to the creation of periodical magazines, it was only a matter of time.
     Pamphlets were short, unbound or loosely bound booklets that could be printed at low cost and could be distributed by anyone willing to stand on street corners for hours at a time (or to pay someone else to do it for them).  Basically, pamphlets were a tool used by people who wanted to rant - about religion, about politics, about specific authority figures they hated - you name it. 
     In Italy, our buddy Aretino started out as a pamphleteer so he could spread his anti-authority satires far and wide.  In Germany, Martin Luther used pamphlets very effectively to promote the Protestant reformation. 

 

     Of course, the Church could play the pamphlet game too.

pamphlet depicting Luther as a seven-headed beast

     In England, writers like Thomas Dekker, Thomas Nashe, and Robert Greene used pamphlets to distribute their romantic fiction and social or literary criticism, Francis Bacon published his Essays as a series of pamphlets, and King Henry VIII had pamphlets distributed to publicly defend his break from the Catholic Church.  ("Like it's my fault they won't let me divorce my first wife after 20 years to marry that hottie Anne Boleyn!")
     French writers also distributed their fiction in pamphlet form.



     In the 1560's, long before the first newspapers were invented, pamphlets first began to be used in England to convey news to the public. 


     Unlike a book, a pamphlet describing a political event could be written and printed up within hours after it occurred, enabling people outside of court circles to quickly be in the know.  Elizabethan England also became the base for "pamphlet wars" - the use of pamphlets by groups holding opposing viewpoints to carry out public debates on issues ranging from the civil war to the roles of women in society.  In fact, pamphlets became so popular that the Queen herself recognized their propaganda value and took to participating in these discussions.
     Pamphlets continued to gain popularity well into the 17th century, and only began to die out after newspapers and journals became widespread.

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     So there you have it, folks.  There were times when I thought I would never make it through this Challenge, but I survived, thanks in large part to the support and encouragement of a lot of amazing A to Z bloggers who, in addition to consistently writing wonderful posts on their own blogs, also somehow found the time to bloghop and offer kind words.  Sincere thanks to everyone who visited here, either to leave comments or just to read.  I love learning more and more about the 16th century.  For me, it's a well that never runs dry.  And I love sharing the things I learn with as many people as I can.  Blogs work so much better than 16th-century pamphlets in that regard!
     It's been a lot of work for me, but so much fun that it was worth every hour of research.  Ciao for now, and I hope to catch up with you next year, if not sooner!
    

16 comments:

  1. ("Like it's my fault they won't let me divorce my first wife after 20 years to marry that hottie Anne Boleyn!")

    Hahaha loved that!:D Congrats on making it Susan! Your theme and posts were sheer awesomeness and I loved each one that I read. Will be catching up on those I missed in the coming days hopefully.

    Ciao for now.
    Nila.

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    1. Congrats to you too, Nila! I've always found your poems to be really beautiful but not particularly funny. It was such a delight for me to discover your quirky sense of humor! Talk to you soon, I hope.

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  2. An early version of a website! (Or a blog.)

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    1. Yeah, pretty much! As for the news part of it, I was thinking an early version of CNN!

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  3. Susan it has been a treat to read all your informative posts presented in such an entertaining way. Your posts have been educative and fun. Happy to have been the recipient of your hard work - thank you.



    @mysilverstreaks from
    Storiesandmore

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    1. Dahlia: congratulations on finishing the Challenge, and thanks very much for all your support all the way through! Hope to e-see you again!

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  4. i think i will have to read your posts again at leisure, thanks for your visits to my blog and for your comments

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    1. Thanks very much to you too for your insightful comments and your loyal visits! Congratulations!

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  5. Congrats on making it to the end. I had a few times where I wondered if I'd be able to make it, but we did it. =)

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    1. We did, and we deserve a round of applause! I came close to ditching a few times too, especially close to the end. Congratulations and thank you for all your visits and comments!

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  6. Hooray! Another year of A to Z complete! Now use all this info in one of your future books. :)

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    1. Congrats, Yvonne! And back at you - have you considered gathering all your great productivity advice into a book?

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    1. Thank you, J! And congrats on finishing the Challenge! We rock, am I right?

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  8. Well, and we think that our internate age is the mother of free publishing! I often think we should stop thinking that people in the past where so far behind us. In fact I think that, considering their possibilities, they were often very close to us.

    Congratulation in completing the challenge. It's a great feeling, isn't it? :-)

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    1. Thank you, Sarah! Recognizing that people from the past were our kindred spirits has been my whole point with this theme, as I think it also was for yours. And yes, it's GREAT to be done!!

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