Choosing Cambridge

Research has never been my strong suit. If anything, it’s often the part of being an English major that I have shied away from. I love reading; I love writing. And I especially enjoy thinking about what others have already written. It is the act of finding this writing though that I’ve always found frustrating. I am having much of this same problem as I begin researching Cambridge and the books that inspired social change in England.

So, I stated with a recommended text–A History of Cambridge University Press. Although daunting, the book outlines an extensive overview the history of book publishing in England between 1873-1972. I also thought this a good place to start because as ‘Volume Three’, I hoped that the book would be modern and relevant. In skimming this entry I was hoping to look for three things: 1–a specific book to focus on; 2–a narrowed time range in English history; 3–an individual social trend within the selected time range. The third objective has been the hardest to articulate because I am not entirely sure yet what I am looking for. I think that the connections I make between book and social movement will only be clarified through more and more research.

The book opens with a powerful notion–”books, the products of Cambridge University Press and the justification for its existence” (MiKitterick pg.1). This idea struck me because it seemed to represent the ‘idea’ I’m looking for, ie. the influence of books on people, and the influence of people on books. Neither can exist without the other. Well certainly people can exist without books, but our lives would be much harder, and less interesting. The introductory pages also note many practical changes to the Cambridge University Press (paper, printing, sulphite, consumers, etc.), however, it was this initial idea of justification and existence that I was really looking to explore more.

When reading this book one text that was covered struck me most–The Expansion of England (Macmillan July 1883) (pg.38). The Expansion of England documents the rising history of colonial movement (with new focus on India), and drew large audiences as well as a wide readership. The book writes, “seldom can a course of undergraduate lectures in the humanities have had such a long-term effect on public opinion” (pg.38). This book influenced travel, commerce, and opinions on foreign politics and affairs. It seems like it was monumental in shaping the opinions of a public that did not have access to learning and fact like we do now. I also thought this book was particularly relevant because it is a compilation of undergraduate lectures. As I leave college it is going to be strange to also leave behind lecture, one of the most dominant parts of my four years spend at Michigan. At least in terms of academics. Many of these lectures have helped to shape my opinions, so I am curious to see how the same phenomenon was happening in 1880 England.

So I’ve four the answers to my first two questions: 1–the book I’m focusing on is The Expansion of England; 2–I’ve narrowed my time period to around 1880. However, I am still a bit unsure about the conjectures and correlations that I will be able to make from this data. Even from just reading the introduction to A History of Cambridge University Press I’ve come across some trends that I wouldn’t have originally thought of. Maybe I can track movement to and from India, and see how the increasing publication of information influenced travel. Or perhaps I could explore the influence of this text on education trends and enrollment in the University. I’m not sure if either of these ideas are going to be feasible, but as I explore The Expansion of England more, I hope that I will find an answer to my third question that is both interesting and manageable.

While browsing online I was only able to read to about pg.70, but I am in the process of trying to locate the book in the library for further reading, and the hope of more resources in reference.

Works Cited

McKitterick, David. A History of Cambridge University Press. Vol. 3. Cambridge: Cambridge Univ. Pr., 2004. Print.

A History of Book Publishing: Cambridge

After completing essay one, I was particularly interested in the effects of reading on personal development-how the books we choose to purchase (or not to purchase) speak to the person that we are. Although conjecture, I concluded that the books I purchase reflect the person I am (those being the books that I have already read, and read many times) as well as the person I hope to be (books I have purchased but not yet read). Is it really as simple as that? Hardly. There are many other factors involved in the purchase of books, notably the availability of books themselves. Although I can make assumptions about how the books I’ve purchased reflect parts of my identity, the choices I make when browsing the shelves are equally dictated by what publishers choose to put there. I’d like to think that my choice are my own (maybe a misguided need for self expression or free will…), but the choices I make are often dictated for me.

In order to better understand this process, I am using Essay 3 to learn more about the history of book publishing, specifically Cambridge University Press, the oldest registered publishing house in England. Publishing has changed in many amazing ways since the creation of the printing press in 1440. Although not entirely helpful to my research, I thought that this graphic was a cool representation of publishing, especially for its inclusion of more modern publishing outlets like Twitter.

Image Courtesy of Visual.ly

Cambridge University Press began in 1534, and is connected to the Cambridge University. The publishing house is also known for its ties to the Royal Family, as well as its educational programs. In terms of the research paper, the following statements are what I am hoping to explore:

I am studying: the historical uprising of the Cambridge publishing house after 1534…
Because: I want to better understanding the connections between what was popularly published by the Cambridge publishing house and what was happening in the world of England
So That: I can evaluate the effects of books (and what is published) on human socialization.

Clearly that’s a bit confusing, if not entirely convoluted. I’m still trying to figure out exactly what I want to research, and I realize that looking at the social history of an entire country is way too much. And I’m not even entirely sure what I mean by ‘socialization’, but right now my brain just can’t find the right words. I am really interesting in seeing if there is a connection between the books that were being published in England and how people were acting in terms of social movements. If there is even a correlation at all. I’ve been having a lot of trouble finding sources/research on the topic (again, it might not even be researchable), so fine-tuning the goals of this paper is something that I will definitely be working on in the next week or two. As I find more research, hopefully I will be able to better express the question I am trying to answer.

In terms of finding more research though, I am a bit stuck. This is where any suggestions/tips would be more than welcome! I have yet to fully compile a list of resources yet, which I apologize for. I am applying for a fellowship that has been consuming all ton of my time, but as soon as I finish the application I will more actively be searching for sources. I have been browsing on the University site though, and there is a fair amount of information pertaining to Cambridge itself. Similarly, there is a ton of information that documents the large social movements of England. Now though, is the task of looking for connections between the two. It is logical that books about social things are written after the fact, but what I am more curious in exploring is books that were written before social things. Again, I need to refine this search, but I think this is something that will happen more naturally through the research project itself. It seems like I have a lot of library time ahead of me. That said, here is my timeline moving forward-

March 18: Go to the library to talk with a specialist on British Lit (if that exists)
March 20: blog post critiquing one source for the project
March 21: Rework my Research Question for clarity and feasibility
March 23-24: Document and summarize 3 academic sources
March 27: Individual Meeting
April 1: ‘Rough’ rough draft finished
April 6: Rough Draft due!

I am having trouble planning more than this though, just because I am not really sure where my research is going to end up taking me. I’m excited to move forward, and answers to any of these questions would be helpful!

Q: Any relevant sources/places to look? I don’t have much experience with research papers, so any advice on where to go online or in the libraries would be awesome! Really any suggestions here would be SUPER helpful!
Q: Is this a topic of interest? I don’t want to pursue something that’s simply boring.
Q: Is it unrealistic to think that there is a connection between book production and social actions?

Thanks!