William Raymond Manchester's Life and Work
William Raymond Manchester (b. 4/1/22 d. 6/1/04) was an American historian and biographer, notable as the author of 18 books that have been translated into 20 languages.
Manchester was the son of a WWI Marine, and grew up in Attleboro, Massachusetts. After his father's death, and the attack on Pearl Harbor, he likewise enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps, though he was ordered back to college until called up. Although he expected to serve in Europe, Manchester ultimately found himself in the Pacific. He served on Guadalcanal after the Japanese defeat there, and experienced combat in the last major battle of the Pacific War, on Okinawa.
His wartime experiences formed the basis for his very personal account of the Pacific Theater, Goodbye, Darkness: A Memoir of the Pacific War. (He later wrote of WWII in a number of his other books, including his second of a planned three part biography of Winston Churchill, and a biography of Gen. Douglas MacArthur.)
He received a B.A. from the University of Massachusetts in 1946 and a master's degree from the University of Missouri in 1947. He worked as a reporter for the Daily Oklahoman and The Baltimore Sun. He published his first book, a biography of H. L. Mencken, in 1951, then followed it up with a novel two years later.
In 1955 Manchester became an editor for Wesleyan University and spent the rest of his career there, later becoming an adjunct professor of history and writer-in-residence there. He remarked that the generation coming of age in the 1950s were "withdrawn, cautious, unimaginative, indifferent, unadventurous and silent," helping to cement the generational moniker Silent Generation.
Following the death of his wife in 1998, Manchester suffered two strokes, and announced, to the disappointment of many of his readers, that he would not be able to complete the previously planned third volume of his three part biography of Churchill. According to this article Vol. III is likely to be published posthumously, being finished by writer Paul Reid, a former feature writer of The Palm Beach Post.
A World Lit Only by Fire, by William Manchester, is a general synopsis of the Middle Ages in Europe, from the years 410 to 1536. The bulk of the book is comprised of anecdotes detailing incidents of treachery (usually debauchery) and utter chaos. A large portion of this is directly targeted at the scandalous history of the Roman Catholic Church at that time.
General Patton as born in Virginia in the late 1860s and was raised by both his parents with his sister. He had a good relationship with his family, not many fights or arguments. He was brought up in the South and was taught to be a real gentlemen. This is why he is considered not only one of the United States greatest generals, but also a great person himself. He was in the Olympic games in Stockholm and served in West Point military school. During the first World War he served in the 304th tank brigade and lead his platoon to many quality wins in Europe. In World War II, he was leader of the 504th platoon in Morocco and then moved over to the European front and lead his troops to victory and one of the biggest battles at the Battle of the Bulge.
A World Lit Only By Fire by William Manchester is not only informative of the conflicts that occurred in Europe, but it is humorous and includes perspectives and anecdotes that are not viewed as impartial. It is structured into three separate sections: The Medieval Mind, The Shattering and One Man Alone.
The 1960’s was a time of war, politics, and a trip to the moon. For some it was a turbulent time filled with chaos, while for others it was a peaceful, prosperous time. For my grandfather, Robert Mammini, it was the decade of his life where he would settle down, start a family, and experience a most memorable decade. He was married in 1961 at the age of 24 to my grandma, Mary Mammini. During this decade his family expanded and he had three children. His first born Kim, my mom was born in 1962, followed by my uncle in 1964 and later my aunt in 1966. He and my grandmother lived in Concord, California just several blocks from Clayton Valley High School. It’s weird to think they lived two minutes from where I live now. With my grandma’s hands full with three kids it was up to my grandpa to be the working man. He worked at James Nelson Company, a booming heating and air conditioning company, in San Francisco where he made good wages and was given great benefits. With the good pay my grandfather was able to easily afford a brand new home priced at $22,000, which included 3 beds and 2 baths. This decade was the start of a long ride for the Mammini family filled with incredible world events that we will never experience again.
Prior to the careers of Popes Celestine V and Boniface XII in the 13th century, the long and, sometimes tumultuous, history of the church can be helpful in setting the stage for these two church official’s very famous, and very different tenures as pope. In different forms and methods, the medieval Catholic Church has always had a strong hold on society in addition to politics. The church has also had a troubling past when it comes to corruption, usually manifesting itself through the pursuit of this dominance over political and outside figures on all aspects of everyday life. Coupling these two themes together, the past actions and power exerted
Emmerson, Richard K. and Bernard McGinn. The Apocalypse in the Middle Ages. Ithaca: Cornell, 1992.
Norman Davies, a leading English historian, wrote, “There is an air of immobility about many descriptions of the medieval world” (Davies 291). However, these descriptions he refers to do not capture the true essence of the Middle Ages of Europe, which were a continuation and a formation. They were a continuation of old Rome in race, language, institutions, law, literature, arts, and in cultures independent of Rome. Nevertheless, the Middle Ages were not merely a continuation; they were the formation of our world. Many modern-day historians argue that the so-called Dark Ages were a period of ascent rather than of descent, that with the withering of the pagan classic civilization came the first budding of a new culture that was to develop into our modern civilization. James M. Powell, a prominent historian, agreed with this argument concerning the untold progress of this age. Powell believed that the Medieval Ages was a multi-faceted period of time in which the roots of modern civilization began to emerge, and that it was. This time period was critical because, although it seemed to be a dark age, seeds were being planted for future generations such as ours. These seeds have sprouted and have given us templates to work with regarding issues of centralization, the economy, scholasticism, education, expressions of art, and religion.
Giordani, Igino. Catherine of Siena: Fire and Blood . Trans. Thomas J. Tobin. Milwaukee: The Bruce Publishing Company, 1959.
On the sunny day of July 4, 1804, in Salem, Massachusetts Nathaniel Hawthorne was born. Though not an author yet, his life paths of hard and good times and relationships that come and go, would lead him to become a great American author. The original family name was Hathorne, he added the ‘w’ to separate or distinguish himself from history, which included John Hathorne, a judge in the Salem witch trials of 1692-3 (Nathaniel Hawthorne - Biography, 1).
Proving to be the paramount of the conflict between faith and reason, the European Enlightenment of the eighteenth century challenged each of the traditional values of that age. Europeans were changing, but Europe’s institutions were not keeping pace with that change.1 Throughout that time period, the most influential and conservative institution of Europe, the Roman Catholic Church, was forced into direct confrontation with these changing ideals. The Church continued to insist that it was the only source of truth and that all who lived beyond its bounds were damned; it was painfully apparent to any reasonably educated person, however, that the majority of the world’s population were not Christians.2 In the wake of witch hunts, imperial conquest, and an intellectual revolution, the Roman Catholic Church found itself threatened by change on all fronts.3 The significant role that the Church played during the Enlightenment was ultimately challenged by the populace’s refusal to abide by religious intolerance, the power of the aristocracy and Absolutism, and the rising popularity of champions of reform and print culture, the philosophes, who shared a general opposition to the Roman Catholic Church.
Greengrass, Mark. The Longman Companion to The European Reformation, C. 1500-1618. London: Longman, 1998. Print.
Emmerson, Richard K. and Bernard McGinn. The Apocalypse in the Middle Ages. Ithaca: Cornell, 1992.
Writing about the years following the fall of Rome, Petrarch asserted, “amidst the errors there shone forth men of genius, no less keen were their eyes, although they were surrounded by darkness and dense gloom.” Petrarch’s negative view of the Early Middle Ages from Rome’s fall in 410 to Charlemagne’s crowning in 800 reflected the opinions of many humanists and historians, and the idea that this was a time of backwardness continues to influence people today. However, Petrarch was wrong to characterize the Early Middle Ages as “dark.” While this wasn’t the most peaceful time in human history, there were plenty of aspects to justify its importance and necessity. Considering the strength of the economy and trade, new technology and codes of law, as well as a focus on education through the rise of Christianity, the Dark Ages were a benign part of human history that slowly paved the way for the future.
The renaissance and the reformation were two of the most significant changes in history that has shaped our world today. Both of these great time periods are strikingly similar in some ways and totally different in others. This is because the renaissance was a change from religion to humanism whether it is in art or literature; it is where the individual began to matter. However, the reformation was,” in a nutshell,” a way to reform the church and even more so to form the way our society is today. The first half of this paper will view the drop in faith, the economic powers, and the artistic and literary changes during the renaissance, while the second half will view the progresses and changes the church makes during the reformation.
Russell, J.B. 1986. Lucifer, the Devil in the Middle Ages. New York: Cornell University Press.
Ullmann, Walter. A Short History of the Papacy in the Middle Ages. 2nd ed. New York City, NY: Routledge, 2003.