A Reading Revolution? Literacy, Novels and Libraries

More people were reading in the 18th century, and they read differently. In France, the share of men able to sign their marriage registers rose from roughly 29 percent in the 1680s to about 47 percent by the 1780s, with women's rates also rising from a lower base. In Britain, the Dutch Republic and the German states, literacy grew too, especially in towns.

Some historians, such as Rolf Engelsing, describe a 'reading revolution' from intensive reading, in which families reread a few books like the Bible, to extensive reading of many new works, including novels and newspapers. Circulating libraries let readers borrow books for a fee, and novels such as Samuel Richardson's Pamela (1740) and Rousseau's Julie (1761) produced passionate responses. Critics then worried that novel-reading, especially by women and servants, encouraged idleness or immorality.

Historians debate how sharp the shift really was, but growing literacy clearly widened the audience for Enlightenment ideas.