Cameron, Early Modern Europe, 31-62.
On p. 44, we see a picture of Swiss villagers meeting under a linden tree (Lindenbaum in German). In 2003, a colleague of mine rode his bike to the small German community of Evessen (population 1, 404) in Lower Saxony (Niedersachsen) and discovered that it too had a linden tree that functioned as a centre for village gatherings. Between 1348 and 1808 the tree served as the site at which villagers settled disputes. The villagers also believed that by hammering a nail into the tree one could relieve toothache.
1. Identify: tripartite image of society, Hausfrieden, youth abbey--a term that will recur in Muir, Ritual in Early Modern Europe, sharecropping, yeoman / coqs de village / Vollbauer, social polarization, guilds.
2. Note that at the end of her second paragraph Rowlands identifies the three major themes of the chapter: "the material and mental world of the peasants, the processes and effects of sixteenth-century change, and the urban experience of the lower classes" (32). What are the essential points that Rowlands makes in the discussion of each theme?
3. Another way of managing and analyzing the information contained in this chapter is by paying close attention to its
subtitles. Through these subtitles Rowlands signals her major topics of discussion as she pursues the three themes
of the chapter. Thus you can ask yourself, for example:
4. Note how Rowlands concludes this chapter (62). She identifies one interpretation about the socio-economic history of sixteenth century--this was "an age of progress"--only to reject this interpretation in the next sentence. Do you think that the conclusion represents the basic argument or thesis of the chapter? If so, in what specific ways does Rowlands' presentation on "The Conditions of Life for the Masses" support her argument?
5. How do the illustrations in Rowlands' chapter complement her argument?
These questions should give you direction when analyzing the remaining chapters of the book. Keep in mind the following
four points:
