In What is Medieval History, Arnold develops an understanding of medieval history throughout the book. Use this understanding to help the reader see that medieval history is important and relevant to a wide range of disciplines. Arnold's use of book structure, narrative, and other techniques helps make his point. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Arnold begins the book by telling a story that feels familiar and strange at the same time. The story is about a priest who is repeatedly asked to take part in magical rites, including a plan to kill the pope. Although the magic and torture in the story are things that most of us associate with the Middle Ages, there are many elements that go against our expectations. The most obvious surprise is that the wizard is not an old crone, but a priest. By starting with this story, Arnold calls into question what we really know about medieval history. It makes us understand how the stereotypes and common ideas that many of us have about the Middle Ages are not necessarily right. The rest of the first chapter goes on to talk about how people commonly frame the Middle Ages and the problem that arises. For centuries people have regarded the classical age as a time of great culture and prosperity and the medieval era as a time of barbarism. The word medieval itself is commonly used in a degrading way, like the phrase “becoming medieval.” It also raises the fact that it is difficult to pin down the Middle Ages exactly because the end and start dates can vary depending on how you define the era. Arnold also talks about how we study history and the questions that arise. One of the first things he talks about is the problem of conflicting sources. When we read documents such as manuscripts from the Middle Ages, or any era, we must be careful to take them at face value as we may fine different documents dealing with the same topic but with conflicting facts. We must also be careful to assume that what we are reading accurately represents the time as many documents would not have survived. There is also the problem of prejudice. For example, if the document had been written by a religious person, it would most likely have had some religious bias. Furthermore, we should not neglect the little things in favor of the big things. In the section on images, for example, Arnold talks about how common images that come to mind from the Middle Ages are huge stained glass windows and beautifully illustrated manuscripts. However, equally, if not more, important are the images imprinted on coins or painted on walls, since it is these that represent the common people and the “popular culture” of the time. This chapter was particularly helpful in providing me with a better understanding of how to approach studying and researching medieval history. By detailing many of the different research materials as well as the various issues one should consider when studying such materials, it provides the reader with helpful suggestions for future research. The book also discusses some of the various approaches that can be taken to medieval history. Not only a strictly historical approach but also an anthropological, statistical, archaeological and theoretical approach. This provides the reader with a glimpse into the wide range of approaches to the study of medieval history. We can therefore see the importance that medieval history can have not only for the historian but also for many other disciplines. The very structure of the book leads to a clearer understanding of a thesis. Starting from the story mentioned at the beginningof the book, immediately makes us question whether what we thought about the Middle Ages is really true. This is followed by various ways of studying history and the problems a researcher can face. He then concludes the book with a personal story of comments made by a carpenter towards him. In this story we can see a real-life, current example of how we see the Middle Ages. Many people consider its study to be a waste of time and much less useful than practical skills such as carpentry. However, by beginning to doubt the truth of our previous beliefs about that period, followed by the wide range of methods and questions of studying history, we can see the value it actually holds. Before reading the book we may have had beliefs similar to those of the carpenter, but in the end we are able to see the fallacy of this view. We have seen how our preconceptions about the times can be wrong, as well as not only the various other ways of studying the period, but also the ways in which we can mislead ourselves. We can thus see the practicality that the study of medieval history actually has. I'd say the only major problem with this book is that the middle part really seems to drag. While it has important information and advice to offer, I feel Arnold could have presented it differently. Although I have argued that the structure of the book is significant in conveying the thesis, I believe changes could have been made while keeping the structure intact. I think Arnold should have sprinkled a few more stories throughout the book rather than mostly at the beginning and end. Stories help to both keep the material interesting and allow the author to highlight what he or she is trying to say by providing the reader with an example. This book gave me a better understanding of how to study medieval history. Arnold does this effectively by discussing many of the issues and problems, previously mentioned, that arise with the study of the era. More useful, however, is that I can apply these lessons not only to medieval history, but to history in general. I cannot make assumptions about, or stereotype, a time or place, especially one I have not lived in. A researcher should keep an open mind and avoid bias from their work. In addition to applying to history in general, these tips are also useful for researching any topic. This ties into what I believe is Arnold's thesis. Medieval history has relevance to a wide range of disciplines. Likewise, Arnold's advice has relevance to many disciplines. Thus we can see, albeit indirectly, how medieval history can be applied to other studies. This book made me think about some of the ways in which the study of medieval history matters. It may not seem as important to society as, for example, the role of a doctor or an electrician. However, it is not without its merits. By studying and understanding the Middle Ages we are able to gain a better understanding of humanity in general. It is important to know the origins and evolution of different ideas and objects so that we can better understand how they work today. By looking at what people did we can get an idea of ​​why they did it. We can then apply this to ourselves today and think about why we do what we do. There is also the very obvious reasoning that if the old adage "history repeats itself" is true, then understanding history can help us avoid it. We can look at what worked to come up with new and better ideas and concepts, and we can look at what went wrong to help us prevent such things from going wrong in our society. Please note: this is just an example. Get a personalized card now come on.