2018 Annual Seminar - Authors, Publishers, Serialisation, Readers - 3

The Open University History of Books and Reading (HOBAR) Research Group with the Institute of English Studies, School of Advanced Study, University of London

2018 annual joint seminar series: ‘Authors, Publishers, Serialisation, Readers’

Serialisation has often been the neglected step-child of the publishing process, seen by many simply as a means to earn money rather than critical esteem, often viewed as a rapidly produced, provisional and ephemeral version rather than the definitive ‘book’ produced for posterity. Indeed, bibliographers, the trade in first editions and rare books, and public perceptions of cultural and material value have often lead us to think of authors only as authors of great books. But what of the highly productive work of publication in serial form? How did authors negotiate contracts for serialisation with their publishers? How did serialisation shape the perception of a literary work in the minds of readers? To what extent is serialisation the prime mode for readers’ engagement with texts? How has technology and the digital changed the dynamics of serialisation? This seminar series looks at the complex and productive relationship between authors, publishers and serialisation as a primary mode of reaching audiences from the 19th century to the present day. It also seeks to examine the phenomenon of ‘series, serials, and serialization’ more broadly. How did readers respond to the literary series, and in which reading environments were books in series consumed? What was the relationship between readers, periodicals, and their publishers?

Title:   Humour, Propaganda and Print Culture: American Satirical Magazines during the First World War

Speaker:   Vincent Trott (The Open University/Oxford Brookes University)

During the First World War, humorous magazines played an important role in galvanising popular support for the war effort across the combatant countries. They also played a significant role in shaping public opinion regarding the war in the United States, which remained neutral until 1917. Many magazine editors and publishers adopted a staunchly pro-Allied stance upon the outbreak of war in 1914 and, as the conflict progressed, some began to argue the case for US intervention. Jokes, cartoons and satirical articles were important weapons in an editor’s arsenal, but the significance of humour and laughter during the First World War, and especially in the United States during this period, has often been overlooked by historians. This talk will discuss how a range American humour periodicals – including Life, Judge and Puck – sought to influence public opinion during the First World War. It will also situate these periodicals within the wider context of American publishing during the conflict, demonstrating how the industry helped to pave the way for American intervention.

Vincent Trott is Lecturer in History at the Open University, and a lecturer at Oxford Brookes University, where he teaches publishing and book history. His first book, Publishers, Readers and the Great War (Bloomsbury, 2017), explores the role of the publishing industry in shaping the memory of the First World War in Britain. He is currently researching humour during the First World War, with a particular focus on satirical periodicals.