I need to know what theme the author is trying to convey in the book, a world lit only by fire?

Question

i exactly need the theme that the author is conveying?

Answer 1

Caveats: As the author notes in the introduction, this book doesn’t really have theme. It’s more of a collage of stories, biographies, and commentaries on events meant to paint a rough portrait of what life was like during that time period. It’s painted Impressionist style; step back and squint when you’re done. Also, the author assumes the reader has a basic grasp of European history. Might help to have Wikipedia handy while you read.

Wikipedia says:
A World Lit Only by Fire, by William Manchester, is a general synopsis of the Middle Ages in Europe, from 410 AD to 1536 AD. The bulk of the book is comprised of anecdotes detailing incidents of treachery (usually debauchery) and utter chaos. A large portion of this is directly targeted at the scandalous history of the Roman Catholic Church at that time. The back end of the book is essentially a log of the quest of Magellan and its effect on common knowledge. A World Lit Only By Fire is an informative read, yet as its purpose does not possess educational intentions, it tends to include humor, perspectives, biases, and anecdotes that readers may consider not to be objective.

The book is structured into three sections: The Medieval Mind, The Shattering, and One Man Alone.

The opening section, The Medieval Mind, extensively covers notable occurrances centered in approximately 500 A.D., including a lavish description of the fall of the Roman Empire and the reasons for its fall. Manchester then continues, delineating why "Europe was troubled since" the Empire's demise. He speaks of the Dark Ages that immediately followed the collapse of the Roman empire, including details regarding a number of adverse events that were characteristic of what Manchester notes as a "stark" era. He speaks of the Black Death as well as various "climatic changes," such as severe flooding, that socially and economically brought ruin to the already frail condition that many European nations resorted to after the Roman Empire ceased to exist.

The second section of the work, The Shattering, is the book's most extensive section, expanding upon a great deal of happenings that embodied the latter end of the Middle Ages as well as the early period of the Renaissance. Manchester in this section focuses primarily upon the corruption of the Catholic Church. He attacks many medieval clergymen, including numerous popes, speaking of inappropriate financial and carnal acts. He relates extensive anecdotes regarding a pope from the formidable medieval Borgia family, Pope Alexander VI, speaking of "wild" celebrations and extensive nepotism exercised by this pope. In conjunction with his inscriptions on the state of the Vatican, or the "Holy See," Manchester also speaks in depth about the Protestant Reformation as led by former Catholic monk Martin Luther. Continuing with his focus in regards to spirituality, he writes on the rise of humanism in the early Renaissance days and its celebration of secularism over piety. He covers humanist scholars, and concentrates also upon the humanist tendencies of Renaissance leaders such as Michelangelo and Da Vinci. Speaking also of the European nobility of the era, Manchester elaborately describes the life and decisions made by England's King Henry VIII. He writes of Henry's wives and the King's eventual separation from the Church despite his being once, according to Manchester, an "ardent Catholic."

The final section of the work, One Man Alone, is a description of the voyage of the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan, who circumnavigated the globe. Manchester fully expands upon the life and personality of Magellan, his setbacks, and his eventual death in the Philippines in an attempt to convert the natives to Catholicism there. His argument is ultimately that Magellan's voyage was concurrent with and, on several levels, symptomatic of the shattering of what he defines as the Medieval mind.

Answer 2

It's been too long since I've read that book! Sorry. I loved it though. Good Luck! Keep a dictionary handy while you read it.

Answer 3

fantasy, love and learning to accept yourself, your life and others

Answer 4

historical