In The Cheese and the Worms, Carlo Ginzburg presents the reader with an account of the various courtroom trials of a sixteenth century miller in the Friuli region of Italy. In the book, Ginzburg makes several assertions about the relationships between culture and class, and power and literacy. His worked has sparked a debate on the limits of drawing such conclusions on the basis of limited evidence. Your paper should attempt to form an analysis of the relative success or failure of Ginzburgs approach, his use of sources, the validity of his conclusions, and his attempts to answer larger questions about Early Modern society based on the case of Menocchio the Miller. As you begin to write this analysis, keep in mind the authors intentions in writing the book, his use of evidence, and the limits of those types of analysis. Be sure to read the Translators Note and Prefaces provided in the book. In addition, examine and cite some published reviews of the book. You may find that you agree with these reviewers or disagree completely. In your analysis, do not simply re-tell the events of the narrative, but use the text and the reviews to analyze what you have read and present your own thoughts on the books merits and limitations. Your paper, which is due on April 2nd, should be between five and seven pages in length (double spaced, 12 point font).

In The Cheese and the Worms, Carlo Ginzburg presents the reader with an account of the various courtroom trials of a sixteenth century miller in the Friuli region of Italy. In the book, Ginzburg makes several assertions about the relationships between culture and class, and power and literacy. His worked has sparked a debate on the limits of drawing such conclusions on the basis of limited evidence. Your paper should attempt to form an analysis of the relative success or failure of Ginzburgs approach, his use of sources, the validity of his conclusions, and his attempts to answer larger questions about Early Modern society based on the case of Menocchio the Miller. As you begin to write this analysis, keep in mind the authors intentions in writing the book, his use of evidence, and the limits of those types of analysis. Be sure to read the Translators Note and Prefaces provided in the book. In addition, examine and cite some published reviews of the book. You may find that you agree with these reviewers or disagree completely. In your analysis, do not simply re-tell the events of the narrative, but use the text and the reviews to analyze what you have read and present your own thoughts on the books merits and limitations. Your paper, which is due on April 2nd, should be between five and seven pages in length (double spaced, 12 point font).