Following the Garreday Uprisings when the common people were properly incorporated into the political process a need was seen to increase their education to match their new responsibilities. The result was a major investment in education, particularly in the Cities, in an attempt to 'civilise' the people who now held the vote. Literacy was seen as the single most important aspect of education, prized as both a clear symbol and a key to further learning. The legacy has been a continuing high level of literacy amongst all sections of the population, almost without precedent elsewhere. These levels have been sustained, both over the years - growing until the mid 1100's and basically plateuing since then - and during the course of an individual's life. Though the majority of jobs don't require much reading and writing, literacy usually doesn't atrophy after a person leaves school because reading, in particular, is such a common pastime. Reading books, plays, pamphlets etc. is a perennial form of pleasure, especially during the winter when few other options are open to people. One thing which has stimulated the trend has been the increasingly low levels of censorship, both of political and "obscene" aspects, ensuring that there is something worth reading.
The majority of written matter is printed paper. The technology for both creating the paper and printing on it developed more or less side by side. Both existed, though in more rudimentary fashion, when the Cities was first built and paper/timber mills and printing presses were established in and around the Cities initially to handle government and commercial business. They burgeoned after the literary revolution, however, presses proliferating in the Cities (especially after the need to license them was removed in 1107 ) and the mills in the countryside around. The majority of books are still fairly basic, pulp paper glued to a spine, the quality of the printing wildly variable, sometimes with whole pages illegible. More carefully produced volumes are made obviously; however there remains the feeling that printed paper is somehow irredeemably tacky and so avoided at the top end. Some books are still hand-written and a fine if tedious living can be made by anyone with beautiful and flowery handwriting; they are especially popular for religious texts and for works by established writers which are then sold as the "author's original manuscript" (sometimes at least 20 original manuscripts of the same book are in existence). Book ownership isn't as high as might be expected, due more to the lack of space in most people's homes. Instead most books are borrowed, both from public libraries and from the "book circles" which operate in most neighbourhoods, a semi-formal system whereby the same texts are circulated between families, with a small annual membership fees which pays for new purchases by the circle.
Novel genres
In all their rich culture the Cities have no style of novels unique to themselves and local writers tend to concentrate on plays or poetry. The closest to an endemic prosaic style is the "chronicle" books. These are the literary equivalent of Cities Satire plays, thinly disguised lampoons of public figures, though the chronicles tend to start from factual events and drift further into fantasy; stylistically they often resemble the cattier newsheets. Though some are one-offs there are a number of regular chronicle writers who produce new volumes around once a year, intended as a satirical summary of the last year's events. The most famous name is Jiri Roccardo whose acidic volumes prompted huge sales and more than one libel case. Roccardo began writing in the 1270's, and though she died in 1319 her heirs allowed later writers to adopt her name for their own chronicles.
One enduring Erish import has been the "Musrich novels", first introduced by Erish administrators during the Empire years. The name comes from the region of southern Erenland, though there is no specific reason why that area is chosen above the rest of the country, other than its proximity to Christoté. Musrich novels are generally very long (sometimes appearing in several volumes) but simply written melodramas, usually very sombre and with high body counts. They are concerned almost exclusively with aristocratic Erish families, often spanning several generations and usually have no one single character. They have very fixed ideas of good and evil, produce a rich array of villains, all of whom eventually perish, and usually manage to produce a happy ending for someone amidst the carnage. Musrich novels are especially popular amongst women and the poor, and are accordingly much derided and seen as infantile art, which makes no difference to their huge sales. A number are written by genuine Erish writers, usually imported, translated and re-printed in the Cities, though there is a burgeoning fake-Musrich industry, and churning a few of the tomes off is a good funds raiser for struggling academics. A popular trend of the 1200's, especially amongst women's freedom agitators, was to adopt the moralistic tone and decisive endings of the Musrich novels and translate them into Christotan settings and politics; the Garreday Uprisings and, to a lesser extent, the Civil Wars have both provided popular backdrops.
More sophisticated is the genre which first originated in Zabrial and has caught on in the Cities in the last 30-40 years. It tries to incorporate considerable psychological insight, address complicated issues and concentrates on creating fully-rounded characters rather than exciting plots. Such novels appear in one or two book volumes, are often densely written and have limited appeal outside the intelligentsia. The founding fathers are reckoned to be Xenath Mizzarto and Calab Elpi, respectively a Port Craballan and an East Zabric, who were both writing in the 1320's-50's. There is still a fierce factional debate as to who was actually the original genius and the finer writer, exacerbated by the rivalries between the two cities. The classic Zabric novel holds a rather harsh moral tone and a skewed view of history biased towards Zabrial; accordingly local authors writing in the genre rather than direct imports are more popular in the Cities.
Major Books in the Cities
As We Stumble Towards The Light - Ferent Tachlan. An earnest account of the political scene in Christoté in the late 1000's (it was first published in 1282) by the great post-Garreday Uprisings reformer. Mixed in with the analysis are various recommendations and hopes for the future and reminiscences of Tachlan's own life; he wrote it shortly after retiring from politics. It wasn't especially well-received at the time but has since become a core text for universities. Partly this is simply due to who the author was (As We Stumble... is his only surviving full-length work) but it also sums up nicely the blend of confusion, trepidation and exhilaration felt by the reform movement at the time.
Building On Sand - Stacey Elparto. Published in 1319, an instant best seller and reckoned to be Elparto's finest prose work. Building On Sand is a sweeping summery of Christoté's state of health and recent history, focusing largely but not exclusively on the Cities and adept at analysing small, often obscure facets to illustrate universal points. Her flowing, readable but intelligent style and ability to simultaneously condemn and criticise brought her some detractors but overall acclaim. It was also a welcome antidote to the gloom-laden analytical works which were then still prevalent.
The Court of King Spider - Dryac Tolsen. Written in 1329 by a former senior but somewhat embittered Chancellor's Office clerk. An insider account of Huwdone House in the 1320's, focusing on the antics of Holan 'Spider' Brightson. With any genuine secrets either voluntarily omitted by the still-patriotic author or cut by Huwdone for 'national security', what is left is a lampoon on the various ghouls at the heart of government. Thus, it is hilarious and was an instant success. As well as Brightson, the bumbling Piers Acrippa, bombastic Holstace Fortraine and avaricious come in for particular fire, the latter two unsuccessfully suing Tolsen for libel. Brighton's reaction was to buy the first copy printed and get Tolsen to sign it.
The Curse of the Cronacks - Mandel Tolnass. One of the earliest Musrich novels to really catch on in Christoté and still widely read today. First imported to Yaleth in the 910's but written some twenty years earlier, it is comparatively slender compared to later Musrichs but all the familiar ingredients are present; duels, ripping petticoats, royal intrigue and the ancient, corrupt family of the title who all perish unhappily save the noble heroine and her beloved prince.
The Divine Conspiracy - Jakkan Carcias. Carcias was an Academy trained wizard who first went freelance and was finally stripped of his licence, primarily for writing The Divine Conspiracy. First published in the Cities in 1275, its popularity was mainly derived from putting to paper all the anti-Academy conspiracy theories circulated in the Cities for time immemorial. Its main claim is the old argument that the Gifted are born, not made, but it also gives a comprehensive critique of the Academy's conservatism, paranoia and occasional viscousness. A little barmy at times and backed up by fairly slender evidence, but is still flourished as definitive proof by anti-Academy campaigners. Carcias spent out his years in Salbair, supposedly under government protection but mysteriously vanished in 1291. His supporters claimed murder, the Academy suggested he wasn't much good at magic and killed himself in a spell which went wrong.
The
Everyday Book of Herbs - Maek Armasson & Terafan Healing Herbs - Endeln Jerrant.
The two basic herb guides, both first produced 200-300 years ago and
periodically updated. Universal not
only in Christoté but most of Teraf, they are designed for the layman to use herbs;
most herbalists have far vaster and more customised texts at their
disposal. There is little to choose
between them, though Jerrant's is reckoned more comprehensive and Armasson's
instructions clearer and easier to follow.
New texts on the application (as opposed to the theoriticals) of herbs
tend to be rare, primarily because publishing houses are nervous of invoking
law suits should they be misleading.
Ironically, given Christoté's struggle to disassociate herbs from magic,
both Jerrant and Armasson were wizards and Jerrant was once head of the
Academy's Animism College.
The Reluctant Revolutionary: Mankho Arner & The Changing of History - Carla Stouton. Biographies have always been a minority interest but this 1276 account caught the imagination. Stourton gives the usual account of the Garreday Uprisings and Mankho's colourful life, making the most of her ample material, but her real triumph is unearthing a collection of never-before-seen essays by Mankho. Mostly written after he was chiselled after the post-revolution settlement, Mankho didn't dare publish them and hid them away on his estate. It's easy to see why; amidst the lively and inventive ideas are some intensely scathing and libellous portraits of leading figures of the day. Interestingly, some of Mankho's supposed allies come off the worst; Helden Gorric is dismissed as a bloodthirsty barbarian whilst Ferent Tachlan becomes a feckless, parvenu sell-out.
The Tales of Dorrick - Jed Passaln. A 12 volume chronicle originally produced in Yariston 1324-7 but reprinted in the Cities due to popular demand. The Tales... are a witty, episodic series of adventures describing the struggles of the likeable hero Dorrick to stay afloat in the latter days of the crumbling Kingdom of Elsey. After wading through mounds of corruption, nepotism, insanity and anarchy the series concludes with Dorrick's death and the invasion of the Erish; the hero's dying thought is that they can scarcely make a worst job of running the country than the Elsan crown. Histories of this type tend to be popular when, as in the late 1320's, the political scene smells especially foul. They are palliatives in a way, assurances that some progress has been made whatever the apparent evidence.
Thinking Man's Empire - Brael Landisso. Like Twilight, a product of the aftershocks of the Labbish invasion which was banned shortly after its publication in 1310; though it is now widely available. Landisso espoused the growing conviction that the invasion was largely Christoté's fault, that the country had had no proper foreign policy for a century, hiding behind the Jade Alliance and meddling in other nations' affairs merely because it could. The result was a fatuous and invidious brand of semi-colonialism as Christoté sought to stamp its interests and standards across the continent; and the end result, Landisso argued, would be Christoté's destruction. Thinking Man's Empire is very dry in places - and downright sloppy when Landisso tries his hand at domestic issues - but its gloom-laden tone caught the mood of its time and its penetrative analysis and satirical descriptions of Christotan diplomats are still readable.
Travels Across the Central Plains - Christos Dalbic. First published in 1165 and still widely read today. Dalbic describes a nightmare journey from Marlborough to the Cities via Jolton in 1161, passing through a Central Plains haunted by bandits and ridden with cholera courtesy of the chaos of the Civil Wars. His accounts of brushes with death and the suffering of the common man, together with his railings against the political class who caused it all, remain vivid if melodramatic stuff; Dalbic is basically read by those who enjoy bandit tales but feel listening to ballads would demean them. Recent research has shown that Dalbic almost certainly embellished his journey and there's some doubt whether he even made it.
Twilight - Cane Callar. The most notorious publication for a hundred years. Callism gained its momentum largely from Callar's own presence and his fiery speeches, but Twilight embodied all his ideas and it became a must-have for all his acolytes. It was accordingly banned by Huwdone House in 1304, a year after being produced, one of the very few texts ever to be so. Which was, in the famous phrase, like 'trying to dam the sea'; half a dozen illegal presses in the Cities alone continued to churn out more copies. Twilight still isn't widely available in its original form, only in a much abridged version; universities and the like can only purchase the uncensored one from a special government form. The fact that Callism is long dead and Twilight only has interest as a historical curiosity shows more than a little paranoia on the authorities' part. It is, however, still a disturbing read. Rather than the 'storm the government, drink loads and take hallucinogenic herbs' philosophy which he is popularly associated with, Callar's ideas are sophisticated and extremely subversive. His genius was to take modern and especially Ellan ideas on free will and the individual to their extreme, upending their liberal conclusions and creating an extremely bleak picture of the world. To Callar, government, religion and society are all illusions, first created by the weak to defend themselves. All that matters is the individual standing alone and fighting for his interests; and all that can be really known is the fleeting moment of sensation as it is experienced. Callar argues that all human history is nothing more than a series of clashes of self-interest and his arguments are unpleasantly convincing.
Maps
Map making is a fairly precise art in Christoté - at least of the federation itself, with maps of other countries more rudimentary. A small band of surveyors (name??) are employed full-time by the federal state, controlled by Guards Central Command. They are responsible for highly detailed and regularly updated standardised maps which are used both for military purposes and adopted for governmental ones. The Guards issue maps are not theoretically available to the general population but a fair number find their way out. They are the maps most commonly used, with no equivalent commercial range as accurate. There are a number of professional cartographers but price themselves above most people's needs and are generally only hired for specific projects. Many postal companies also produce and sell maps for their areas, but these are often very localised and not always too reliable.
Currently popular are the so-called "Here-be-dragons" maps - highly decorative and often hilariously inaccurate maps, chiefly hung on walls and rarely consulted seriously. Usually featuring intricate floral borders and stylised depictions of the principal industries in each region, as well as ghoulish drawings of the fearsome beasties legend says prowls the country. Satirical versions of the here-be-dragons maps, featuring caricatures of the more prominent Emissaries of the country, first appeared in 1333. More serious variants of maps include historical and geo-economical atlases, used for pedagogic purposes, which teach through the use of plans and pictures. The grandest of these is Kellin Maslac' epic atlas, which uses several hundred national maps to demonstrate Christoté's economic and political history, more or less since the First Partition. First produced in 1247, it has been much reprinted since, a key text for schools, and has been recently updated to include facts about the Labbish invasion.