The Cheese and the Worms by Carlo Ginzburg - Essay Example

Menocchio, the exceptional peasant History usually chronicles the stories of emperors, of wars and conquest, of leaders and heroism. What makes ‘TheCheese and the Worms’ so unique is that Carlo Ginzburg chose a common man to represent the popular culture of the era, by analyzing the court inquisition of this religiously opinionated miller. Menocchio bridges the divide between the oral and literature culture which is rather unusual for a commoner at this particular time of history. And, to find possible elements of the dominant culture in Menocchio’s statements and ideas seem a bit overstrained, for he was very exceptional as a person living through the Renaissance and Reformation. Throughout history, people of all races have attained and maintained power through language and communication. Menocchio’s exceptional character that distinguishes him from the rest of his contemporaries becomes most evident by the manner in which he adapted to the transition from the oral communication culture to the written mode. The Catholic Church has thus far exercised control and maintained a certain monopoly over the written word which accounts for the absoluteness of its power. During the changing phase from spoken to written word, and because of the advent of print technology, it has become impossible for the Church to monitor and control the communication flow. This appears to be one of the reasons for the diminishing of its power. This transition of power plays a key role in Menocchio’s life. The fact that Menocchio lived in a time of a recent invention, the printing press, seems to have contributed a lot in changing his outlook. The most amazing characteristic attribute that makes this common peasant unique and exceptional is the ability with which he adapted to the power of the printed word. The prevalent oral tradition among the people of his time had created in him an interest in theology and with the fusion of written communication he becomes able to access a wide but different variety of information. This combination seems to have provided an entirely new view point for the ordinary miller, and placed him outside the realms of ideas expressed through oral tradition. His ability to discern information looks unusual as he traverses beyond the lofty thoughts expressed in the books he reads. His mind has been able to take a step past what he learns from both oral and written sources, and his view points propel him, as opposed to the other peasants in his community, outside the realms of Catholic Church. He then realizes a cosmology that fits with his own understanding of the world around him. It appears that Menocchio is destined to be doomed from the beginning, and ironically it is his understanding of the world around him that contributes it. His personal empowerment of the mind is extremely contrasting when juxtaposed against his physical position as an ordinary peasant. This raises a relevant question, ‘Was Menocchio a good representation of the common person of his time or was he the exception?’ Were his other contemporaries so well-versed in their oral tradition and well-read in books? In order to receive a definitive conclusion one needs to analyze his stature as compared to the other peasants. Though Menocchio is a common peasant, he is somewhat better placed than the others because of his position as a miller. Apart from the slightly higher economical status it affords him an opportunity to interact with a wider variety of people. He has also held a couple of political positions and rented out land to other peasants. His being financially better off provides him opportunity to indulge in reading books. The different positions he has held also places him in a slightly important status than the rest. This degree of power, albeit small, may have acted as the catalyst that encouraged him to express his views and further develop them. And over the years, his opinions gained vehemence and energy to evoke the interest of the ecclesiastical society. Though Menocchio is thought to be a common man, one may be quite justified to say that his theological views are very uncommon and quite distinguishable in comparison to the other peasants of his time from a historical point of view. In order to determine Menocchio’s qualities that can mark him as exceptional, the analysis needs to be stretched beyond the scope of the physical conditions or material factors of his life. When examining his intellectual and theological frame of mind, one may find elements that raises questions as to whether an ordinary man would have understood how Menocchio’s ideas and cosmology formed and whether a common peasant would have stood the tests of the trial as defiantly as this miller did. In the early exchanges of the trial he ascribes his opinions to diabolical inspiration: “I uttered those words because I was tempted… it was the evil spirit that made me believe those things.” But he has already become less submissive by the end of the first interrogation: “What I said came either through the inspiration of God or of the devil…” Fifteen days later, he adds yet another possibility: “The devil or something tempted me.” Shortly after, he clarifies what this “something” is that nagged at him: “My opinions came out of my head.” (Ginzburg 27-8). Anybody can guess the mental situation in which Menocchio may have been while facing his trial. An ordinary person will not have the resolve and determination with which the miller faces the inquisitors; it looks like the more he approaches his doom the more resolute he has become. On the other hand, a common man’s resolve would have crumbled; he would have had a reversal of the proceedings – being vehement initially but acquiescing to authority when he gets warmer to the reality that his determination might spell his doom. It also appears that Menocchio’s reading doesn’t confine to a few books. He seems to have devoured whatever he could possibly lay his hands on. His theory of cosmology is no developed in a short span of time, nor does it sound like the ideas he borrowed from a couple of books. An ordinary man would have been swept by the revolutionary thoughts he ingests from any source. But in the case of Menocchio, the information he assimilated seems to have hibernated within himself, evolving in form and content over several years to take the shape of a new expression. This unique perception is both his undoing and his distinction. To the inquisitors he says, “I have said that, in my opinion, all was chaos, that is earth, air, water, and fire were mixed together, and out of that bulk a mass formed—just as cheese is made out of milk—and worms appeared in it, and these were the angels. The most holy majesty decreed that these should be God and the Angels, and among that number of angels, there was also God, he too having been created out of that mass at the time, and he was made lord, with four captains… (Ginzburg 5-6). What ordinary peasant would have conceived, let alone promulgated, such a thought! Another aspect that underlines Menocchio’s uniqueness is the ideals of tolerance for other religions, which, incidentally, he seems to have derived from the reading of Mandeville’s Travels. An ordinary peasant who lived during that era wouldn’t understand concepts such as these, unless he is quite well-read and possesses a rational mind. Millions of peasants have lived through the age; millions have plowed the earth, borne children. But to have crossed the lines that Menocchio did takes more than what any peasant at that time could have been. Another crucial aspect which emphasizes his being exceptional is seen when the inquisitors acknowledge that Menocchio doesn’t subscribe to the Reformists’ views, nor his ideas are derived from them. In Menocchio’s story what is truly exceptional is that he manifests the power of the books to subvert even the average person. But books were there, so were the peasants – not everyone has gone his way; not any other. This makes him unique, and leaves us with a question. Can anyone find a cross-section of the peasant community by looking at this miller who is a variety of his own? Read More