1. Most medieval people were not knights, kings, churchmen, or
merchants. Most (more than nine out of ten) were peasants who eked out hard
livings from the land. This book tells the story of one such
peasant.
This comment, located in the first paragraph of Chapter 1,
“Introduction,” redirects readers’ focus from the traditional association of
medieval history with noblemen, kings, and clergy, to a view of medieval
history that accounts for the overwhelming majority of people who lived
through those times: the peasantry. In this light, Bennett bluntly offers
the mission statement of her book, a detailed picture of medieval rural
society constructed around the life of one peasant. In a more subtle way,
Bennett exposes the irony inherent in medieval history by drawing attention
to the fact that the kings, knights, and clergy who reside in mainstream
history are the very people who exist at the margins of medieval society,
while the peasants, who comprise mainstream society, exist in the margins of
history. Bennett’s clear insight in this passage not only helps to prime the
reader for her alternative view of peasant society but also lends credence
to her focus on the subject of a female peasant, a substantially more
marginalized historical figure than the male peasant.
