Book Review The Cheese and the WormsThe rise of literacy towards the end of the Middle Ages brought with it a torrent of individuals ready to think for themselves and formulate their own theories and ideas about God and the Christian faith. For a long time, the church held a near monopoly on literacy and used it to maintain control over people's lives and beliefs. While some of these new intellectuals created ideas that would forever change the way people imagine themselves and their relationship with God and the universe, others simply pieced together tidbits of ideas that were not born of deep philosophical inquiry, but they had more of an instinctive character. of logical foundation. This was the line of thought that constituted Domenico Scandella's beliefs. Known as Menocchio, The Cheese and the Worms tells the story of his inquisition and the events that led to it. Menocchio was a wealthy miller who lived in Friuli. He was different from how many modern people might imagine a peasant miller, as he was highly educated and, while not luxuriously wealthy, was wealthy enough not to have to worry too much about something like a bad harvest. He had been, for some time, mayor of the village of Montereale where he lived. What made Menocchio the object of a religious inquisition was the fact that he was a very outspoken man who deeply loved to openly tell everyone he knew about his reflections on religion. Most simply ignored his eccentric views, but eventually someone reported his words to the local clergy. This led to him being investigated on charges of spreading blasphemous ideas. Some of his reflections involved disparaging comments made about the church itself. He considered the church corrupt and exploitative… middle of the paper… a sixteenth century miller. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins UP, 1992. Print.2. Keller, Alex. "Review: The Cheese and the Worms: A Sixteenth-Century Miller's Cosmos." Technology and Culture 23.4 (1982): 650-51. JSTOR. Network. 10 April 2014. .3. Valeri, Valerio. "Review: The Cheese and the Worms: A Sixteenth-Century Miller's Cosmos." The Journal of Modern History 54.1 (1982): 139-43. JSTOR. Network. 10 April 2014. .4. Phythian-Adams, Charles. "Review: The Cheese and the Worms: A Sixteenth-Century Miller's Cosmos." Social History 7.2 (1982): 213-15. JSTOR. Network. April 10. 2014. .