On Robert Donald 's Study Of Reading History

Robert Darnton is one of the most representative historians for the New Cultural Movement in the West, and also a leading expert in the study of the history of books and the history of reading. This article would demonstrate the life and research experience of him, as well as the analysis of his works and a track of his academic life. The purpose is to reveal the significance of a newly emerged field such as the history of reading and how it has come into the horizon of a historian, with a better understanding of the relevant theories in New Cultural History.This article would firstly look back on Darnton’s theory on the study of the history of books and the history of reading, analyzing the methodology and structure within, as the foundation for the following detailed research on his work. Secondly, to reveal the development track from the history of books to the history of reading according to the different topics in Darnton’s books, and discuss the respective research based on historical facts. And in the end, the discussion would focus on Darnton’s research beyond the history of books and the promising future for the history of reading in the digital era...