Historians who wish to study the culture of any pre-industrial subordinate class are all challenged by the lack of evidence available to them. This is the case of the peasant class of medieval Europe. The Italian historian Carlo Ginzburg, in an attempt to better understand the cultural attitudes of medieval peasants, takes on an innovative and controversial task in The Cheese and the Worms. The cosmos of a sixteenth-century miller. The book centers on a curious 16th-century miller named Menocchio and his interactions with the council of the Inquisition while on trial for heresy. Ginzburg, however, intends to do more than simply tell the story of a miller's trial and subsequent execution under the inquisition. Ginzburg examines, evaluates, and researches the details of Menocchio's statements in an attempt to understand the origins of his strange worldview. Ginzburg then states that by determining the origins of Menocchio's thought it is possible to understand the cultural and social attitudes of the peasants of the time. More specifically, Ginzburg argues that interactions between the ruling class and the peasantry were more common than previously thought and, more importantly, that these interactions had more influence on the cultures of both parties than previously imagined . Although Ginzburg's conclusion may appear radical, Ginzburg manages to argue that there was a mutual dynamic between the dominant and subordinate classes and that the latter's reliance on oral culture was an essential part of peasant consciousness. Ginzburg recognizes the leaps and assumptions in his arguments and is careful to address and validate them as they appear. It is also essential to note what Ginzburg's intentions are with his narrative... middle of the paper... barring or rejecting his hypothesis, it is certain that the conversations his book has started - about his claims and his methodology - are still to be completed. Works Cited Ginzburg, Carlo. The Cheese and the Worms, trans. John Tedeschi, Anne Tedeschi.Baltimore, John Hopkins University Press. 1992. Print.Greyerz, Kaspar VonThe Sixteenth Century Journal, vol. 13, no. 3 (Fall 1982), p. 116, JSTOR.Web.5 April 2014Kimmel, Michael S. “Book Reviews” Theory and Society, Vol. 11, no. 4 (July 1982), pp. 555-558, JSTOR.Web.5 April 2014Midelfort, Erik HCThe Catholic Historical Review, vol. 68, no. 3 (July 1982), pp. 513-514, JSTOR.Web.5 April 2014Phythian-Adams, CharlesSocial History, vol. 7, no. 2 (May 1982), pp. 213-215 JSTOR.Web.April 5, 2014Schutte, Anne Jacobson “Church History”Church History, vol. 51, no. 2 (June 1982), p. 218, JSTOR.Web.5 April 2014