AP European History Summer Reading 2011

Richard Wunderli, Peasant Fires: The Drummer of Niklashausen (Bloomington: Indiana, 1992).

Available at Amazon.com ($11.54 + S&H) or by special order at Books-a-Million ($14.25)

Additionally there are many USED book available ON-LINE for less than $3.50. If you do not have the money or are unable to purchase items on–line for lack of a Debit/Credit Card or PC please see me so we can come up with alternative solution.

A historian’s job is to recover the past and the stories of individuals who often left no written records. Those records we do have are often incomplete or tainted by the author’s personal agendas or bias. Thus, the challenge of the historian is to piece together the available fragments while using his own knowledge of a culture and society in order to fill in the gaps left by the passage of decades and centuries.

In Peasant Fires, Richard Wunderli wades through vague accounts to paint a portrait of German society on the eve of the Protestant Reformation: one governed by class divisions and tight social restrictions, and in which everyone’s survival depended upon strict conformity and obedience to his superiors. Into this narrative, enter a charismatic young man who, guided by a vision of the Virgin Mary, inspires peasants across Germany to defy their feudal lords by embarking on a pilgrimage to a remote village where “the drummer” preaches about clerical abuse, the need to overthrow the social order, and the upcoming re-creation of society into one that is more just and equitable.

At 150 pages, this is a short but relatively dense book that you won’t want to procrastinate on. To get the most out of the reading, I suggest you break it up over two weeks. At most, you probably will not want to read more than a chapter (~20 pages) at a time. It will introduce you to the historian’s craft and provide you with an overview of many of the biggest issues facing Europeans at the dawn of the modern era.

The Assignment:

Summer reading is due on the first day of school. All responses should be hand-written in black ink or typed (Double spaced) and should reference specific examples from the book (with page numbers) where applicable. Be prepared to turn in your written responses to the discussion questions at the beginning of class.

While you read:

-Circle or underline topic sentences and key thoughts or ideas.

-Make annotations (comments or reflections) the margins with your reactions to those sentences you underline – this will help during the in-class essay and discussions.

-Keep a list of words or ideas you don’t know or understand, and we will discuss them in class.(Make not of page numbers so we may reference them easily)

Discussion questions (answer TEN):

  1. What do we know about Hans Behem? What are the sources? What don't we know about this character? How does the author try to fill in the gaps? Do you think this is justifiable? Why or why not?
  2. What general lessons does this text teach us about understanding the past and the nature of history? Come up with one general observation. Chapter Eight may be helpful here.
  3. What part of the story of Hans do you think is most effective in introducing us to the world of the peasant? Why?
  4. The story begins with Mary appearing to shepherd Hans. Why is she such an appealing figure for Hans? What is her general appeal for late-medieval peasants?
  5. What is the importance of Carnival for the peasant? How does it help them survive in a brutal world?
  6. How does Lent contrast to Carnival? What does the celebration of this season tell us about the life of the peasant?
  7. What is Walpurgisnacht and what does this holiday tell us about religious festivals in this period?
  8. Why did people come and see Hans? What would motivate a peasant to participate in a pilgrimage?
  9. In what ways would the church authorities find Hans's movement threatening? Explain.
  10. What was happening economically in this period, and how might they have affected this movement?
  11. What is Corpus Christi day? What societal values does this holiday reflect?
  12. Who is Bishop Rudolf, and what was his vision of reform? How did this conflict with Hans's agenda?

Feel Free to contact me over the summer if you have any questions or concerns