As you read Wunderli’s Peasant Fires, please keep the following in mind. They will form the basis for our discussion of the book, and your writing assignment will cover the same material. Who was Hans Behem? What is his story, and why is it important? “ Hans Behem lived in an enchanted world. ” Explain this statement. What were the characteristics of this world? How did medieval peasants understand time? The supernatural? Why might they have thought this way? What was Carnival? What happened? Why was it necessary? Why was it dangerous?
Why was the Carnival of 1476 particularly roblematic? Consider Carnival from the point of view of both the elites and peasants. What was it like to be a peasant in fifteenth-century Germany? Explain the peasant worldview as described by Wunderli. What was the relationship between individuals and communities? How did wealth and resources factor into this relationship? Explain the relationship between institutional and “ popular” religion in fifteenth century society. What prompted the great pilgrimage to Niklashausen? Who went? What did they hope to gain?
How did the authorities – both secular and eligious – react to Hans Behem, his message and those who followed him? Why did they react this way? What are the connections between this material and the plague sources we Just read? How does the story of Hans Behem illustrate the long-term ramifications of the Black Death? As you read Wunderli’s Peasant Fires, please keep the following in mind. They will form the basis for our discussion of the book, and your writing assignment will cover the same material. ramifications of the Black Death? As you read Wunderli’s Peasant Fires, please keep ramifications of the Black Death?
