1. Elite and Popular Culture

2. In the 18th c, the experiences of elite and popular cultures began to diverge
Those in the upper classes inhabited a culture of print
Peasants and poor townspeople lived in an oral culture

3. The Reading Public
Huge increase in the amount of printed materials available
Caused an increase in the literacy rate
All classes took part in this increase
By 1780, most cities had at least 1 daily or weekly newspaper

4. Members of the upper classes invested in reading materials
Novels proved to be the biggest sellers
There was a growing “cult of sentiment” in the messages of novels
Governments did attempt to sensor works they seemed threatening to public order or blasphemous
Public opinion helped to increase the importance of reading materials

5. Education Remained the preserve of the well-to-do
Secondary schools reinforced the hierarchy of European society
Reformers criticized the stale education of the universities

6. In Germany, Realschules were founded to focus in practical skills
If you wished to learn the new science you could attend Leiden, Halle and Edinburgh

7. Art and Music By the 1720s, Rococo style had taken hold
Concentrated on lighthearted and pensive themes of romance and the transitory nature of life
Neoclassical took over in the middle of the century
Composers experimented with full orchestration
Opera mastered several artistic forms

8. Crime and Punishment
Governments lacked modern police forces and prisons
Cesare Beccaria thought that reason and the certainty of punishment should act as guides to law and the penal system
His ideas promoted penal reform and the building of prisons

9. Medicine Medical care remained inadequate Life expectancy remained low
Physicians trained by attending universities that emphasized classical learning
To improve standards and training, the Royal College of Physicians was created

10. Religious Revival Many Europeans clung to a religious world view
John Wesley’s Methodism in England represents the most famous of the movements of religious revival
In Germany, the Pietist revival within the Lutheran church took place

11. Many Enlightened monarchs approached religious matters with skepticism
Attempted to create a barrier between private religious belief and the public expression of religion
Monarchs began to extend religious tolerance to minorities

12. Popular Culture and Leisure
Literacy increased among all classes in the 18th c.
Many poor townspeople favored 24 page chapbooks
Oral culture remained strong among the illiterate

13. Carnival celebrations played a key role in the cycle of season work in early modern Europe
The masses could turn to other amusements even if Carnival was restricted
Alcoholism became a major social problem for the first time
Some turned to bloodsports