impact. of reading mania?

Through the 17th and 18th centuries literacy rates went up in most parts of Europe, and by the end of 18th century it was as high as 60 to 80 per cent. As literacy rates went up , there was a virtual reading mania.

1)New forms of literature appeared in print, targeting new audiences. A children's press was set up in France in 1857 devoted to children alone. The Grimm Brothers collected and compiled traditional folk tales. 

2)Women became both important readers and writers. Penny magazines were specially meant for women. Prominent women novelists were Jane Austen, the Bronte Sisters and George Eliot. Their novel defined a new type of women - a person with will, strength, personality and power to think.

3)Leading libraries in England became instrumental for the middle and lower classes. After shortening of work hours, workers had time for self-improvement and self-expression. They wrote about politics and autobiography.