The Cheese And The Worms: The Cosmos Of A Sixteenth-Century Miller

The Cheese and the Worms: The Cosmos of a Sixteenth-Century Miller (1976) is a historical study by Carlo Ginzburg examining the 1599 trial of Menocchio, a Friulian miller accused of heresy by the Roman Inquisition. Ginzburg, a historian known for helping to found the field of microhistory, close-reads Menocchio’s testimony in the trial to understand his religious ideology, finding traces of popular peasant materialism that is largely invisible in other written sources from the period. Key themes include Relationships Between “High” and “Low” Culture in the 16th Century, Community and Marginalization, and The Problems of Textual Interpretation. The Cheese and the Worms has proven to be highly influential, serving as the inspiration for a 2002 play by Lillian Groag and a 2018 film by Alberto Fasulo.

This guide uses the 2013 paperback edition, published by The Johns Hopkins University Press and translated by John and Anne C. Tedeschi.

Content Warning: The source text for this guide contains discussion of historical torture methods and religious intolerance.

Summary

Ginzburg introduces Menocchio, a financially stable miller from Montereale with eleven children, respected enough in his community to have held the offices of mayor and church administrator.