Catholic beliefs and propaganda in small print (1845-1905)

Abstract

In the nineteeth midcentury, the Spanish church adopted publishing practices with mass-produced religious publications for heterogeneous publics and more specifically for the working classes. This catholic culture which aimed to be popular and more accessible, encompassed different narrative and aesthetic forms with generally defined traits as: orality, dialogue, volatility, short texts, intertwined narratives and images. Loose printed sheets and small prints contributed to the avalanche of moralizing writings and the support of a wide network of distribution circuits: catholic bookshops and editors, catholic associations and specific reading centers under the control exerted by religious censorship.