History Main / MedievalUniversalLiteracy

* Downplayed in ''Literature/TheArtsOfDarkAndLight'', with literacy in the world of Selenoth fairly widespread, although still more limited than in the real-life present day. Books are also still somewhat rare and expensive, at least as far as the lower classes are concerned; FarmboyProtagonist Speer's peasant family is noted as unusual for owning seven volumes.

* ''VideoGame/YesYourGrace'': In the two first acts, the Lords whose standing army Eryk is borrowing can be summoned by messenger pigeon. In the third act, in which the army is made of peasants, representatives of villages need to be contacted in person by Eryk's agents because they can't read.

* ''VideoGame/YesYourGrace'': Averted. In the two first acts, the Lords whose standing army Eryk is borrowing can be summoned by messenger pigeon. In the third act, in which the army is made of peasants, representatives of villages need to be contacted in person by Eryk's agents because they can't read.

* Averted in the ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'' novels as well, where reading and writing is beyond most except for the nobility and Maesters, and books are still a highly-treasured commodity that's costly to produce.

* Averted in ''VideoGame/DwarfFortress'', with literacy being a skill to put points in, to be able to read.

* In early editions of ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'', if the optional nonweapon proficiency system is used, few player characters will bother picking the profiency to read and write. Later editions generally play this straight, but [[BarbarianHero barbarians]] are still almost universally illiterate. Literacy within the world itself tends to depend on the setting.

* Generally averted in ''{{WesternAnimation/Disenchantment}}''. Being a pastiche of TheDungAges, Dreamland's commoners are depicted as illiterate and uneducated, often {{Played for|Laughs}} BlackComedy. [[RuleOfFunny Unless it's funnier to play it straight]].

* ''LightNovel/AscendanceOfABookworm'': The premise of the story is that a {{Bookworm}} from modern-day Japan reincarnates in a medieval-like setting. However, that setting has a realistic level of literacy, and the girl she reincarnates as is one of the large majority of poor and illiterate people in the population. On top of books needing to be copied by hand, paper and ink are very expensive, so only the wealthiest people can afford them.

* In ''Literature/TheWheelOfTime'', literacy is very high, because (per WordOfGod) the printing press managed to survive the cataclysm that bumped the world down into MedievalStasis, so practically everyone is well-read. However, literacy is still low enough that shopkeepers take care to put a picture of what they sell on their signs.
* Averted in ''Franchise/TheWitcher''. A line in ''Literature/TheTimeOfContempt'' states that most commoners can't read.
** In one of the short stories, the wise woman of a village keeps a book that describes witchers, and recites passages from the book when negotiating monster slaying. Geralt is surprised that a common woman can read, and even more confused when the old woman cheerfully informs him that no, she had not mastered the art of reading. It turns out she learnt it by rote memorisation from the previous wise woman, who was able to recite the book in its entirety. As she's already passing the contents to a young girl (who presumably can't read, either), it's implied that generations of wise women have all been unable to read, and all learnt the book from their respective mentors, for who knows how long.

* ''Literature/BrotherCadfael'': Set in 12th century England, the level of literacy varies: All the monks and nobility can read, as can most of the richer merchants, and there is repeated mention of church priests teaching young children to read.

* Averted in the ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'' novels as well, where reading and writing is beyond most except for the nobility and books are still a highly-treasured commodity that's costly to produce.

** In one of the short stories, the wise woman of a village keeps a book that describes witchers. Geralt is surprised that a common woman can read, and even more confused when the old woman cheerfully informs him that no, she had not mastered the art of reading. It turns out she learnt it by rote memorisation from the previous wise woman, who was able to recite the book in its entirety. As she's already passing the contents to a young girl (who presumably can't read, either), it's implied that generations of wise women have all been unable to read, and all learnt the book from their respective mentors, for who knows how long.

** In one of the short stories, the wise woman of a village keeps a book that describes witchers. Geralt is surprised that a common woman can read, and even more confused when the old woman cheerfully informs him that no, she had not mastered the art of reading. It turns out she learnt it by rote memorisation from the previous old woman, who was able to recite the book in its entirety. It's implied that previous generations of wise women might likewise not have been able to read at all, and all learnt the book from their respective mentors.

* Subverted in the ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'' novels as well, where reading and writing is beyond most except for the nobility and books are still a highly-treasured commodity that's costly to produce.

[[AC: Fan Works]]

[[AC: Literature]]

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[[AC: Tabletop Games]]

[[AC: Video Games]]

[[AC: Western Animation]]
* Generally averted in ''WesternAnimation/{{Disenchantment}}''. Being a pastiche of TheDungAges, Dreamland's commoners are depicted as illiterate and uneducated, often {{played for|laughs}} BlackComedy. [[RuleOfFunny Unless it's funnier to play it straight.]]

There is much debate among historians as to the literacy rate before the invention of the printing press (8th century AD in China, 1450 in Europe). In the Roman Empire alone, estimates range from 10% to almost everyone in Rome, but one thing that's almost universally acknowledged is that the literacy rate in Western Europe for centuries after the fall of Rome was in the single digits. Generally, only priests and some noblemen could read.

* Generally averted in ''WesternAnimation/Disenchantment''. Being a pastiche of TheDungAges, Dreamland's commoners are depicted as illiterate and uneducated, often {{played for|laughs}} BlackComedy. [[RuleOfFunny Unless it's funnier to play it straight.]]

** In ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII'', it's revealed that Tevinter slaves are illiterate. Fugitive slave Fenris is a party member, and if you give him a book as a gift, he'll reveal that he NeverLearnedToRead. You can offer to teach him, and he'll accept.

* Zig-zagged in Literature/TheSharingKnife. Lakewalkers seem universally literate, but Farmers are hit and miss. In the first book Fawn sees a sign using both words and pictograms for the illiterate. Later she's seen to know how to read and write, but lacks practice in both since she doesn't access to many books and doesn't have anyone to write letters to.

** Casteless Dwarves (the lowest rung of the Dwarven social structure) never receive a formal education. If you play as one in ''DragonAgeOrigins'', your older sister is a HighClassCallGirl and she was taught how to read as part of her courtesan training. It's implied that she passed these lessons on to her sibling, since a Dwarf Commoner Warden is as literate as any other player character. Origins' expansion, ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOriginsAwakening'', features a casteless party member, Sigrun, who is also illiterate, and learning how to read is a minor running plot with her.
** In ''DragonAgeII'', it's revealed that Tevinter slaves are illiterate. Fugitive slave Fenris is a party member, and if you give him a book as a gift, he'll reveal that he NeverLearnedToRead. You can offer to teach him, and he'll accept.

** In ''DragonAge2'', it's revealed that Tevinter slaves are illiterate. Fugitive slave Fenris is a party member, and if you give him a book as a gift, he'll reveal that he NeverLearnedToRead. You can offer to teach him, and he'll accept.

* Averted in ''VideoGame/KingdomComeDeliverance'' as the protagonist Henry starts off illiterate and must learn to read first.