The Black Death and the Transformation of the West
The Black Death and the Transformation of the West Books
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In this small book David Herlihy makes subtle and subversive inquiries that challenge historical thought about the Black Death. Looking beyond the view of the plague as unmitigated catastrophe, Herlihy finds evidence for its role in the advent of new populace controls, the establishment of universities, the spread of Christianity, the dissemination of vernacular cultures, and even the rise of nationalism. This book, which displays a distinguished scholar’s masterly synthesis of diverse materials, reveals that the Black Death can be considered the cornerstone of the transformation of Europe.
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David Herlihy’s revisionist work, The Black Death and the Transformation of the West, would have inevitably been cached away and forgotten; a fate that most miscellaneous intellectual writings face when their authors pass away. Luckily for historians, Herlihy’s work, consisting of three unpublished essays about the Black Death, has survived intact and in many ways has been improved upon by Professor Samuel K. Cohn’s authoritative analysis. As Cohn’s extremely helpful, albeit critical introduction clarifies, Herlihy’s perception of the Black Death and its direct effect on the development of Western civilization was shaped by the ever-shifting environment of modern intellectual plotting and his own private observations. In this, Herlihy’s The Black Death and the Transformation of the West, reflects the historiographical truth that was captured by a fellow medievalist: “the knowledge of the bestow bears even more immediately upon the understanding of the past.” (Bloch, 45)
During the 1960’s, Herlihy’s conclusions regarding the Black Death implemented a “bespoke Malthusian framework,” that mirrored Marxist interpretations of the Middle Ages (Herlihy, 2). But, 20 years later, his own observations of modern diseases and, more specifically, modern society’s attitude towards the sick, changed his historical perspective on the Black Death. The growth of the AIDS pandemic during the 1980’s, a disease that defied socio-economic boundaries, and also, like the Black Death, defied an exact origin, shaped Herlihy’s historical interpretation of medieval epidemics. The fact that the “mysterious” origin of AIDS may possibly not be accurately “pinned” to class structure, or a broad Malthusian develop, forced Herlihy to question the accepted biological and historical interpretations of the Black Plague (Herlihy, 5)
As Cohn argues, AIDS proved to Herlihy that a disease can mysteriously develop and spread uncontrollably throughout the world. Herlihy’s first essay provides a fascinating analysis of the historiography of the disease, and even goes as far as to suggest that the Black Death was not caused by the bubonic or pneumatic plague. Herlihy flirts with the controversial theory developed by British Zoologists, Graham Twigg, which states that the plagues that devastated Western Europe were the caused by anthrax. He but, cautions that perhaps “different diseases” worked “synergistically to yield staggering mortalities” (Herlihy, 30). Herlihy opened the door for new thoughts. There still remains a heated debate among scholars about what disease or diseases characterize the Black Death.
In the latter two essays, Herlihy modifies his initial theory that stated the Black Death was the manifestation of classical Malthusian crises. He instead argues that the miraculous development of the Black Death merely broke what he termed the “Malthusian deadlock”, which “paralyzed social movement and improvement” (Herlihy, 38). The small-term economic effect of the medieval epidemics, Herlihy argues, was “shock” (Herlihy, 40). But the long-term effects of the disease which was largely a function of massive depopulation, led to an increase in farm ownership and employment, a raise in wages, and lowering in rent; which all contributed to an improving the standard of living for many (Herlihy, 57). As Cohn clarifies, Herlihy was additionally influenced by finding “parallels” that linked the Black Death and AIDS to the creation of harsh divisions between the infected and unaffected. As Herlihy clarifies the plague disrupted common daily practices and rituals, and in general “incited a new tension between the living and the dead.” (Herlihy, 62) Herlihy asserts that, “Like AIDS victims today, the sick had become the enemy” (Herlihy, 62). The Black Death, argues Herlihy, also made the average person question medical expertise. The AIDS epidemic, from what Herlihy has experimental, also made a “crises of confidence in expert attitude,” which has led to parents demanding infected students taken out of school and in general, contact with infected limited (Herlihy, 69).
The modern AIDS epidemic had a transformative effect on Herlihy’s analysis of the Black Death which occurred more than six centuries earlier. Its enigmatic origin, and its ability to thrust a society into a divisive panic, in which the average person questions the medical expertise of the time, has provided fascinating parallels. Thus, The Black Death and the Transformation of the West, despite its mere 110 pages, provides audiences with a complex analysis of the Black Death and vital lessons in historiography.
Rating: 5 / 5
This very small book (<81 pages including editor's intro) is a set of 3 lectures published posthumously. They were edited by and published with an introduction by the author's student, Samuel Cohn. Herlihy was a distinguished historian of Medieval and Renaissance Europe and these lectures are an attempt to outline the significance of the Black Death in European history. The first chapter is a small overview of demographic impact of the Black Death and a discussion of the agent. Herlihy suggests that the Black Death was not bubonic plague. This is an fascinating top but probably not something that can ever be settled and the specific etiology of the Black Death is not strictly relevant to understanding the impact of the Black Death. Chapters 2 & 3 are the real meat of the book. In Chapter 2, Herlihy suggests that the Black Death constituted a decisive break in European history. Prior to the Black Death, Europe was locked in a Malthusian stalemate which may possibly have continued indefinitely. Herlihy suggests the enormous mortality of the Black Death precipitated a run of economic and demographic changes with extensive long run benefits. The shortage of labor provided an drive for labor saving technology and Herlihy argues that the Black Death resulted in a demographic pattern budge with more emphasis on control of fertility. In Chapter 3, Herlihy points to other changes with vital long term consequences. He suggests that the Black Death degraded the universal Latin based intellectual culture of Catholic Europe with greater emphasis on the use of vernacular languages and the establishment of local universities. These phenomena, in turn, contribute to nascent national feelings. Herlihy makes the very fascinating suggestion that the Black Death may have been seen as a vindication of the Nominalist critique of Thomistic theology, further eroding the Catholic intellectual consensus. He concludes by suggesting that the Black Death was responsible for the spread of well loved Christian piety.
In the introduction, Cohn provides a excellent critical discussion of some of Herlihy’s thoughts and indicates areas where Herlihy may be incorrect. Most of these criticisms seem apt but one may be off target. Cohn suggests that Herlihy was incorrect in suggesting that the labor shortages following the Black Death were responsible for introduction and use of labor saving technology. He points to the example of printing, which appeared over a century after the initial catastrophe of the Black Death. I reckon Herlihy is right. We know that the Black Death was a catastrophe across Eurasia and resulted in the disruption of both local economies and the large pan-Eurasian trading networks. Given the magnitude of the disaster, it would have taken generations to recover. Technological innovations become particularly vital during periods of economic boom with some relative labor shortage. The time lag between the initial Black Death and the development and dissemination of printing pointed to by Cohn is just so what Herlihy’s develop predicts.
Rating: 4 / 5
I had read late David Herlihy’s book back in college and I just read it again. It is rather a very small book as it took me a small over an hour to read. It is a very readable, well written, and quite insightful. This book consisted of three parts: the question of the Black Death itself, the economic after-effects, and the impact of the plague on the social institutions/orders.
I found this book to be quite intriguing read, and holds a fantastic benefit for those who are interested in studying the horrific events of the Black Death.
Rating: 4 / 5
Published post-humously (Herlihy died in 1991), this is essentially three lectures as regards first the epidemiology of the plague of 1347 – 1349, the economic effects of the plague, and its social consequences. Even as none of the lectures (about 20 pages each) go into tremendous depth, they do raise some fascinating questions.
Regarding the epidemiological record of the Black Death, Herlihy questions the accepted interpretation that it was bubonic plague. First, he points out, Yersina pestis (bubonic plague) is transmitted through the rat flea, using humans as only a secondary host, as it much prefers rats. In fact, Herlihy posits, the rat fleas will only use humans as hosts in the absence of rats – yet curiously there are no minutes of large amounts of dead (or dying or oddly behaving rats) in any sources. The ebb and flow of the Black Death is also scrutinized – why, Herlihy questions, did the mortality slow during the winter and pick up and spread during the summer? Were it pneumonic plague, one would guess the opposite, as people were huddled together in homes nearly the hearth. Brilliant questions – unfortunately, there has been no real work done on this (other than the maligned Graham Twigg, in his The Black Death: A biological reappraisal. Herlhy does not provide any satisfactory answers, either.
Herlihy’s discussion of the economic effects were of particular interest, as he does much to illustrate that Western europe was locked in a “Malthusian deadlock”, which was only kaput by the Plague. The quantitive data he brings to bear on this (in terms of both commodity prices as well as guild membership) armored his top. The final address, on the sociological effects was the weakest of the three, although his discussion of the budge in intellecutal attitudes (and the growth of universities) brought new material to my attention.
As a brief introduction to the event, I highly urge it. The comparisons to the current epidemological crises we face (Herlihy mentions AIDS repeatedly, not everlastingly a excellent fit, I reckon) is a small more specious. Nonetheless, a quick and worthwhile read.
Rating: 4 / 5
I picked this book as an assignment for my Western Civ. class in college. It turned out to be a very fascinating look at the Plague and its effects on Medieval society. I especially loved Dr. Herlihy’s theories about the spread of Christianity as a result of the Plague. It was also very fascinating to learn more about the medical aspects of the Plague, as well as its implications on European society and commerce. A fantastic read for anyone interested in the Black Death!!
Rating: 4 / 5