37 pages • 1 hour read
A World Lit Only by Fire: The Medieval Mind and the Renaissance
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Essay Topics
What is Manchester’s view of the Dark Ages and of Medieval Christianity? Does he find it all to be negative? What, if any, were their positive aspects?
Manchester frames Magellan as the hero of the story. Why?
What does Manchester mean when he says that the medieval man had no ego, or sense of self?
Discuss your impressions of Martin Luther. Is he a hero in the book? Why or why not?
Were you surprised by the extent of the illiteracy in the Dark Ages? Discuss how such an illiteracy rate would change the modern world.
What were "indulgences" and what role did they plan in what Manchester calls the shattering of the medieval mind?
Manchester shows the naiveté of the Christian missionaries in thinking that pagans would abandon their previous beliefs after converting. Could they have approached their missionary work differently? Why or why not?
Compare the advent of the printing press in the Dark Ages to the advent of the Internet in the Digital Age.
Why were priests required to be celibate? Why, then, did so few of them practice celibacy?
If you knew of the Vatican’s excesses and corruption, would you take that as a sign of the wrongness of Christianity, or as a sign that new leadership was required? Use evidence from the text to support you’re answer.
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