A World Lit Only by Fire by William Manchester: An Analysis

William Manchester's A World Lit Only By Fire is a contemporary masterpiece in which the turmoil of the Middle Ages is made evident. Through skillful writing, and powerful details, Manchester is able to paint a portrait of the disorder of Medieval Times. He begins by describing what he refers to as "The Medieval Mind," and continues in "The Shattering," the bulk of this masterpiece. Finally, Manchester culminates the writing in the final segment, "One Man Alone," a piece about Magellan and the impact of his voyage upon the times. Manchester sets himself apart from other writers by thoroughly describing the main issues of the Dark Ages that were often overlooked, and their impact upon society. Although it seems repetitive and tedious at times, this historical work does an amazing job proving the point of Manchester; that the Dark Ages earned the name which they are given today.

The first portion of Manchester's masterpiece gives the reader an insight into the workings of Medieval times. Many readers are astounded by the prevalence of the Catholic Church to the times, and the supreme and undisputed power it held. Although one would think that an institution as holy and prestigious as the Catholic Church would uphold the morals of society, and lead loyal Christians through the Middle Ages, we learn through "The Shattering" that it really held back scientific advancement, and proved to be the most corrupt institution of the day. A World Lit Only By Fire acts as a biography of the Middle Ages, the period of time between the Fall of Rome, and the growth of modern civilization during the Renaissance when beliefs once held as fact, were finally disproven.

After describing the stage of Europe during the Middle Ages, Manchester describes the corruption of the time, which lay in the hands of the Catholic Church. The corruption started at the bottom of the hierarchical ladder, beginning with local clergymen, and rose all the way to the top where the pope delighted in inappropriate behavior. This passage is an example of the scandals the Church demonstrated:

"Candelabra were set up on the floor; scattered among them were chestnuts, 'which,' Burchard writes, 'the courtesans had to pick up, crawling between the candles.' Then the serious sex started. Guests were stripped and ran out on the floor, where they mounted, or were mounted by, prostitutes. 'The coupling took place,' according to Burchard, 'in front of everyone present.' Servants kept score of each man's orgasms, for the pope greatly admired virility and measured a man's machismo by his ejaculative capacity. After everyone was exhausted, His Holiness distributed prizes - cloaks, boots, caps, and fine silken tunics. The winners, the diarist wrote, were those 'who made love with those courtesans the greatest number of times.'"

Through this passage, Manchester vividly portrays the audacity of the Pope during the Dark Ages. Readers learn the extent of the corruption and how ideals that today are of utmost importance were then completely disregarded. Manchester furthermore describes how rampant Nepotism was, and then delves into quite possibly one of the most humiliating aspects of the Church; the selling of indulgences. From this point, Manchester goes intro great details over the rise of Martin Luther and the age of history now referred to as the Reformation. Finally, after showing the rise of new cultures inspired by the spread of religion, Manchester tells the story of Magellan's voyage around the globe. This breathtaking event was the final step towards the growth of a new Europe.

Chaos, according to the Meriam-Webster dictionary is, "the confused unorganized state of primordial matter." More or less, it simplifies to the lack of order at a given point in time. Manchester emphasizes the chaos throughout the Dark Ages, and why it was so rampant for such a long extent of time. However, when one observes society today, they see a strong central government which officiates with the consent of the people. During the Dark Ages, Manchester points out that many of the people were part of new nation states that were beginning to form. They did not have a national identity, and as a result, did not have governments that could successfully govern them. This confusion led to the rise of the Fuedal system, and a huge uneducated lower class. The uneducated masses then looked up to one figure to guide them through these dark times, these Dark Ages...God. Therefore, the Church gained an enormous amount of power, yet misused it and become a corrupt institution incapable of leading its people out of chaos. Manchester points out several specifics which prove this theory, and shows how it finally collapsed on itself after a thousand years of turmoil.

Manchester did a superb job proving his point by going into detail over the atrocities committed by Church, and how it impacted the common person. Readers experience each event at a time, in tremendous intensity after each page of A World Lit Only By Fire. Manchester arranges his work in such a way that the reader is first introduced to the topic, exposed to it, and then watches how the process came to pass. In doing so, he allows readers to immerse themselves in a world which is ruled by a corrupt organization. In addition, Manchester showed the terrible state mankind was in for a millennium. Just like Magellan, Manchester explored new grounds of literature which were often left untouched because of the immense controversy over the topic.

The strength behind the writing and the power of the material will allow this book to survive the test of time. Both students and adults will be amazed by the information of this time period which is often ignored or glanced over by most individuals. Word of mouth alone over how interesting the information covered by Manchester is will allow this historical book to succeed in the future. If nothing else, it will inspire new authors to create new masterpieces on the same topic. A World Lit Only By Fire is an amazing work which emphasizes the turmoil of the Dark Ages and the most important aspects of the time.