Plague

One of the big challenges in teaching the Black Death—which ravaged Europe between 1347 and 1352, and then recurred regularly into the 18th century—has always been the hubris of the modern perspective. Students used to look at the Black Death and think, “Ha! Look at all these silly medieval people who not only didn’t understand what was happening but also didn’t respond rationally to disease. This would never be a problem now.” In the current circumstances that sense of smug superiority may be less of a problem; in fact, one of the big themes of this course has turned out to be (to paraphrase Us Weekly) “Medieval people—they’re just like us!” The premise behind this week’s assignment was that maybe it’s worth laying it all out on the table:

Given their pandemic, and our pandemic, how ARE things different then vs. now?

Students collaborated to make a list detailing how the Black Death affected people in medieval Italy, how they tried to explain it, and how they reacted, and THEN to try to identify how each of those things is the same or different (h/t Sesame Street) from what we’re experiencing right now. Rhubarb as a cure? Not any more. But: quack cures peddled by figures in authority? Check. 🙄

For more historical perspectives on plague, the Black Death, and epidemics in history, see my recent interview for New College News and the reading list on my website.