Magazines

The first magazine was presented and published between 1663 and 1668 by Johann Rist, a German Theologian and poet (Osei-Hwere et. al., Media Communication...). In English, the title was translated as Edifying Monthly Discussions. The publication sparked inspiration for many other literary journal authors, including women, who had begun a new venture of increased literacy. The Athenian Mercury became the first magazine targeted for a female audience.

British appeal grew, and followed in the footsteps of their European neighbors (Osei-Hwere et. al., Media Communication...). These British magazines began to shape more to the form of what we know magazines as today, in contrast to the broad genre that original magazines were. These magazines, such as Robinson Crusoe, the Tatler, and the Spectator, had genre-specific audiences, publishing foreign affairs in some, and daily living and culture in others.

After magazines made their way to North America, they became a literary luxury of sorts, only afforded or made available to "highbrow" audiences (Osei-Hwere et. al., Media Communication...). In the 1830s, when printing became more affordable, magazines of all sorts, for all audiences, began taking off. Female-targeted pieces gained popularity, creating jobs, and pastimes, for women.