Carlo Ginzburg's The Cheese And The Worms

The Cheese and the Worms

The Cheese and the Worms is a book based upon the documentation of an Inquisitional case and execution. It attempts to display the life of an unique miller during the counter reformation. The author, Carlo Ginzburg, is an italian history writer who was written many dissertations and books based upon ancient religion and history. This book’s entire substance is based upon records of an investigation case upon a man named Domenico Scandella, his confessions, and the books he mentioned. The point of this book is to show that you didn’t have to be of noble birth, or in the church to be educated, and to show a glimpse of the lower class during the counter-reformation period.

The novel itself is about a miller in the

counter reformation period. The man, Menocchio, did various jobs over his lifetime, being everything from a craftsman to a miller. He was known for having intense and unorthodox beliefs, which he would share with any and everyone. As a consequence he ended up being investigated by the Catholic Church. Most of the book’s writing is based upon just that, the investigation, as that’s all we have left of his life. Menocchio was a surprisingly well educated man, not only was he literate but he also knew some latin, and he read constantly.

This created a unique view of the world, as Menocchio’s old peasant beliefs clashed and merged with the new information that his holy books taught him. As a result he had a unique view on christianity and the churches. He stated that the churches were using the peasants and cared more about money than salvation. Because his views were primarily separate from the church Menocchio didn’t have many of the philosophical questions and debates that were going on in the church at the time, in fact he dismissed questions such as predetermination as if it was obvious. In the end, Menocchio was too stubborn and proud to lie about his views to survive, but because of that he gave us a huge look into not only the beliefs and people of the time, but how books and literature affected the population.

The author appears to be trying to show you how many of the people, mainly peasants, that we know so little about were just as interesting if not even more so than the nobles that we know so much about. This is evidenced by one of my favorite lines in the book. “About this Marcato, or Marco-and so many others like him who lived and died without leaving a trace - we know nothing.” Another main reason the author wrote this is to show you a look into the world at that time, as evidenced by the many points in the book in which the author will stop the story to tell you about some information gained because of the documentation of the case, or some information that will explain to you some of the hidden meanings behind the quotes and actions of Menocchio.
The book itself has a very unique way of showing you information. The first part of it is an introduction to what the book is, and also an intro for the italian version. Next is the writer’s main story and investigation, which is separated into sections that are meant to start and end a focus upon a certain point, such as telling you about a book or important historical fact that would explain a certain behavior. What’s after the main story is a unique part of the book. The last half of the book is all notes and sources, which not only clarifies but supplements the book. As great as that is, a huge problem is that many readers won’t take a look at the end of the book until, the end of the book. By then, all of the extra knowledge that would supplement the readers and give them more interesting information is somewhat lost, as you lose the context.

The book is a fantastic example of a historical investigation, that gives unique knowledge in a subject that a reader would never know that they would be interested in. The author writes in a way that shows you his thought process and lets you make assumptions and guesses along the way, allowing you to not only guess the possible answers to problems but form new hypotheses that nobody has thought of before. The author’s vocabulary is vast, and he utilises this to his full potential to give you a better context of what exactly he is trying to explain. Another strength of the book is the fact that it gives you as much information about mentioned books and groups as you could want, sometimes erring on the side of too much.

The main problem with this novel is that it gives you an excess of information.

For example, if you get a book title you’ll probably get it’s latin name as well. If Menocchio quotes something, you won’t only get the quote and why it was controversial, but you’ll also get an excerpt from the source of the quote. Sometimes this adds to the main point but more often it distracts and draws attention from what the author is saying. The author has a tendency to ramble about subjects and at times it can make readers unsure of if this story is focused on Menocchio or the world he lived in. Many readers may prefer only to learn about the people and the world during this time, or only about Menocchio and his interesting ideas, but when the author tries to combine to two; well it can get confusing.

All together the Cheese and the Worms is a brilliant book about an utterly unique man that, if not for his tragic investigation and death, we would’ve never known about him. The author told us about the world and the man Menocchio in it, why he is so important to understanding this time, and also just about the unique man himself. The notes, the sections, and the vocabulary all come together to make a fantastic investigation into life during the Reformation

period.