If you
are reading this right now, you are taking part in the wonder of literacy.
Because of printed words, people can relay information across both time and
space. Ideas are encoded in writing and transmitted to readers across thousands
of miles and years. Because of this development, the words of people distant to
us can influence events, impart knowledge, and change the world. Much of the
credit for the development of this phenomenon can be attributed to one man.
Johannes Gensfleisch zur Laden zum Gutenberg, better known as Johannes
Gutenberg, was born in the German city of Mainz. Though most of Gutenberg’s
early life is a mystery, historians believe that he studied at the University
of Erfurt in 1418 and spent much of his young adult life practicing the
profession of his father: goldsmithing. Having a penchant for fortune and
success, Gutenberg borrowed money from investors in 1439 and found himself in
financial trouble.
In the
year 1439 the city in which Gutenberg lived was planning to exhibit its large
collection of relics from Emperor Charlemagne (a famous ruler who had united
much of Western Europe around 800 AD). The exhibit was expected to bring many
visitors to the town, so Gutenberg took investments and created many polished
metal mirrors which were to be sold to the visitors (it was a common belief at
that time that mirrors were able to capture holy light from religious relics).
The mirrors which Gutenberg produced probably would have sold well, but due to
severe flooding the event was delayed by one year. The impatient investors
demanded that Gutenberg return their investments, but he had already spent the
money on producing the unsaleable mirrors. He was trapped in a difficult
situation. In order to satisfy the investors, Gutenberg decided to share his
greatest secret with them.
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| Johannes Gutenberg |
This secret would forever change the world, all of history, and even the
process of keeping history. It’s been argued that Gutenberg’s idea was one of
the greatest of all mankind. This one idea would lead to the spread of
countless others. It would play a key role in the development of the
Renaissance, Reformation, the Age of Enlightenment, and the Scientific
Revolution. This idea would bring learning to the masses and form the backbone
of the modern knowledge-based economy. Gutenberg had created the mechanical
printing press with movable type.
Before the spread of Gutenberg’s idea, literature was primarily
handwritten. That means that each copy of the Catholic bible and all of its 73
books were tediously and painstakingly hand scribed, and this was done before
the invention of the ballpoint pen. Given the amount of detail that went into
scribing each text, creating a single copy of a bible could take years. Because
of the effort that went into producing them, books were extremely rare and
valuable. Because of the value and scarcity of books, there was little reason
for common people to learn to read or write since it was unlikely that they
would ever handle a book in their lifetimes. Gutenberg’s invention would change
all of that. His printing press allowed literature to be produced on a mass
scale. His movable metal type could be arranged once to form a page, and his
press could print the page again and again.
The first
major text that Gutenberg produced was a 42 line copy of the bible. Written in
Latin and containing 1272 pages, the Gutenberg Bible has had an immeasurable
effect on the history of the printed word. Scholars estimate that Gutenberg
produced between 165 and 185 of these bibles, which sold out almost
immediately. Most copies went to monasteries and universities, though one bible
was sold to a wealthy private individual. Copies are known to have sold for 30
florins (about three years of wages for a clerk at the time), which may seem
expensive but was nonetheless much cheaper than a hand produced copy.
Purchasing a Gutenberg Bible in the 1450s would have been a good investment if
you and your descendants were able to maintain it. Only twenty-one complete
Gutenberg Bibles exist today and the last one traded hands in 1987 for 4.9
million dollars, the highest price ever paid for a book at the time.
Gutenberg’s brilliant idea would soon change the world, but in the short
term he bungled what proved to be a large and risky investment. He found
himself in financial trouble once again and was sued by one of his investors,
who accused Gutenberg of mismanaging money meant for the production of books.
The courts ruled against Gutenberg and Gutenberg lost control of the shop that
he had created. He was effectively bankrupt.
Though he had failed as a businessman, the technologies that he had
created spread across Europe rapidly. As these printing technologies and
techniques spread, news and books began to travel across Europe much faster
than previously possible. The world has not been the same since. Though
Gutenberg was financially unsuccessful in his own lifetime, he made the world a
much richer place.
Directions: Read each question carefully and choose the best answer. Refer to the text if necessary. Write your answer on the provided space.
Directions: Read each question carefully and choose the best answer. Refer to the text if necessary. Write your answer on the provided space.
1. Which best describes the structure of the text in paragraph 2? __________
a) Compare and contrast
b) Problem and solution
c) Chronological order
d) Spatial order
2. Which of the following expresses the correct order
of events? __________
a)
Gutenberg
was born in Mainz, invested in mirrors, and then became a goldsmith.
b) Gutenberg created the printing press, printed the
bible, and then invented the metal mirror.
c)
Gutenberg
went to college, revealed his press, and then invested in shiny mirrors.
d) Gutenberg studied goldsmithing, invented the printing
press, and then lost his shop.
3. Which best explains why Gutenberg’s plan to
sell mirrors failed? __________
a) The mirrors were less popular than he had expected.
b) Flooding delayed the event for an entire year.
c) Too many other people had the same idea.
d) Newly invented glass mirrors rendered his metal
mirrors obsolete.
4. Which of the
following did Gutenberg invent? __________
a) Reflective mirrors
b) The printing press with movable type
c) Written language
d) Scientific inquiry
5. Which is not
listed in the text as a movement to which Gutenberg’s idea contributed? _______
a) The Great Schism
b) The Scientific Revolution
c) The Renaissance
d) The Age of Enlightenment
6. Which of the
following is best supported by
evidence from the text? _________
a) Gutenberg’s
idea was a tremendous success that made him incredibly wealthy.
b) Gutenberg’s idea didn’t catch on in his lifetime, but
grew very popular after his death.
c) Gutenberg’s
idea did not make him rich but spread very quickly.
d) Gutenberg’s idea did not catch on right away but made
him incredibly rich over time.
7. Which best explains why most people were
illiterate during Gutenberg’s time? __________
a) Books
were rare and very expensive.
b) The public school system had not yet been created.
c) Writing
had not yet been invented.
d) Emperor Charlemagne made reading and writing illegal
for common people.
8. Which best
expresses the author’s purpose in writing this text? __________
a) To
describe what life was like during the Middle Ages
b) To persuade people to read and write more
c) To chart
the spread of printing technologies across Europe
d) To provide biographical information about Johannes
Gutenberg
9. Which best
explains why so few of Gutenberg’s bibles were sold to private individuals? ________
a) Gutenberg
wanted to use his talents to help churches and universities.
b) Gutenberg’s Bible was pretty expensive and most people
couldn’t read.
c) Most
Europeans were not religious and did not care about the bible.
d) Gutenberg’s investors forbade him from selling the
bibles to private individuals.
10. Which of the following titles best expresses the
main idea of this text? __________
a) Investing Wisely: Turning Your Good Ideas into Money
b) How to
Make Books Using the Gutenberg Method
c) The City of Mainz: Life in Medieval Germany
d) Gutenberg:
A Man Who Changed the World
Se corrige todo en clase al volver.
Muchas gracias.
Prof. Mariana Ranua
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