How Long to Read Playful Visions

How Long Does it Take to Read Playful Visions?

It takes the average reader 5 hours and 5 minutes to read Playful Visions by Meredith A. Bak

Assuming a reading speed of 250 words per minute. Learn more

Description

The kaleidoscope, the stereoscope, and other nineteenth-century optical toys analyzed as “new media” of their era, provoking anxieties similar to our own about children and screens. In the nineteenth century, the kaleidoscope, the thaumatrope, the zoetrope, the stereoscope, and other optical toys were standard accessories of a middle-class childhood, used both at home and at school. In Playful Visions, Meredith Bak argues that the optical toys of the nineteenth century were the “new media” of their era, teaching children to be discerning consumers of media—and also provoking anxieties similar to contemporary worries about children's screen time. Bak shows that optical toys—which produced visual effects ranging from a moving image to the illusion of depth—established and reinforced a new understanding of vision as an interpretive process. At the same time, the expansion of the middle class as well as education and labor reforms contributed to a new notion of childhood as a time of innocence and play. Modern media culture and the emergence of modern Western childhood are thus deeply interconnected. Drawing on extensive archival research, Bak discusses, among other things, the circulation of optical toys, and the wide visibility gained by their appearance as printed templates and textual descriptions in periodicals; expanding conceptions of literacy, which came to include visual acuity; and how optical play allowed children to exercise a sense of visual mastery. She examines optical toys alongside related visual technologies including chromolithography—which inspired both chromatic delight and chromophobia. Finally, considering the contemporary use of optical toys in advertising, education, and art, Bak analyzes the endurance of nineteenth-century visual paradigms.

How long is Playful Visions?

Playful Visions by Meredith A. Bak is 297 pages long, and a total of 76,329 words.

This makes it 100% the length of the average book. It also has 93% more words than the average book.

How Long Does it Take to Read Playful Visions Aloud?

The average oral reading speed is 183 words per minute. This means it takes 6 hours and 57 minutes to read Playful Visions aloud.

What Reading Level is Playful Visions?

Playful Visions is suitable for students ages 12 and up.

Note that there may be other factors that effect this rating besides length that are not factored in on this page. This may include things like complex language or sensitive topics not suitable for students of certain ages.

When deciding what to show young students always use your best judgement and consult a professional.

Where Can I Buy Playful Visions?

Playful Visions by Meredith A. Bak is sold by several retailers and bookshops. However, Read Time works with Amazon to provide an easier way to purchase books.

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