Why did some people fear the effect of easily available printed books? Choose one example from Europe and one from India.

Many people feared that if there was no control over what vyas printed and read, rebellious and irreligious thought might spread. If that happen 'valuable' materials and texts might lose their values. Example from Europe - Erasmus, a Latin scholar in Europe and a Catholic reformer expressed deep anxiety about printing. Example from India - British government favoured censorship of press and passed law to hinder free circulation of newspaper and journals. Vernacular Press Act provided the government with extensive rights to censor reports and editorials. read less

It was feared that if there was no control over what was printed and read then rebellious and irreligious thoughts might spread. If that happened the authority of ‘valuable’ literature would be destroyed. Expressed by religious authorities and monarchs, as well as many writers and artists, this anxiety was the basis of widespread criticism of the new printed literature that had began to circulate. Examples: (a)Europe: In the sixteenth century, Menocchio, a miller in Italy, began to read books that were available in his locality. He reinterpreted the message of the Bible and formulated a view of God and Creation that enraged the Roman Catholic Church. When the Roman Church began its inquisition to repress heretical ideas, Menocchio was hauled up twice and ultimately executed. (b) India: Conservative Hindus believed that a literate girl would be widowed and Muslims feared that educated women would be corrupted by reading Urdu romances. The story of a girl in a conservative Muslim family of north India who secretly learnt to read and write in Urdu. Her family wanted her to read only the Arabic Quran which she did not understand... read less