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A Canticle for Leibowitz (1960)

• Walter M. Miller (1923-96)

• Engineer; bomber in WW2; Catholic

convert; sci fi story writer

• Recluse, suicide

• Canticle his only novel

• HISTORY from Time Machine:

• WW1 (1914-18), Great Depression,

Russian Revolution, fascism

• WW2 (1939-45), nuclear arms, space

race

• Cold war (1946-91): western capitalism

vs. communism; Cuban revolution „59

• Espionage, threat, proxy wars (Vietnam)

• Threat: nuclear war

• Actual world apocalypse

• Prevent: mutually assured destruction

• 1960: Gary Powers

• Krushchev at U.N.

Nuclear Apocalypse fiction

• Red Alert (Dr. Strangelove), On The

Beach, Fail Safe

• Post-apocalyptic survival: mutation,

survivalism, alternate economies, small

societies

• Miller: looks to past history:

• end of Roman empire – 5th century

• “Dark Ages”

• Roman Catholic church emerges:

• repository of knowledge, order

• Dominates middle ages

• Renaissance (14th-17th centuries)

• Church vs. new science, worldliness

• Monasteries / abbeys:

• self-sufficient, remote, strictly regulated

• life of prayer and celibacy

• scriptoriums

• Latin

Leibowitz time line

• 20th century nuclear apocalypse (61)

• Attack on learning: “Simplification” (62-3)

• Isaac Liebowitz, electrical engineer,

survives, starts monastic order:

“Albertian” (63-4); martyred (64)

• American south west

• Book one = 600 years later

• “Dark Ages”

• Book two = 500 after that

• “Renaissance”

• Book three = 600 after that

• “modern world”

• nuclear war

• Cyclical history

• Rediscovery of past glories

• Reverence

• Questioning

• Ignoring

Fiat Homo

• America largely empty, tribal (55)

• Monastic order in desert

• The Church = surviving bureaucracy (56)

• Hybrid Catholic practice

• Brother Francis a novice during Lent

• Young, eager, dumb

• “pilgrim”

• In pt. 2 as “Benjamin,” pt. 3 as tramp

(255-6, 275)

• The Wandering Jew (163, 168)

• Leibowitz? (164)

• statue (83)

• The fallout shelter (17)

• Confusion of religion/myth/history

• Veneration of ancients vs. anti-

intellectualism

• Assumption of sophistication (75)

• Junk of past = holy relics (25-6)

Manuscript

• Francis confronts technology: 74

• Francis in scriptorium

• Illuminated manuscript of wiring diagram /

blueprint

Church vs. Science, Church vs. Church

• 69-70 “trial” of Leibowitz

• postulator (85) vs. advocatus diaboli (90)

• Politics of canonization vs. beatification

(42-43)

• reluctance to claim miracles

• politics in faith/religion

• 93 canonization

• 96 mutation and theological implications

• “two heads”

• New Rome 106-7

• Poverty 110

• Return of pilgrim 114-5

• FIRST PART:

• knowledge & faith vs. ignorance

• ignorant veneration of past & science

• politics of faith

• theological implications of post-apoc.

life

Fiat Lux

• A Dark Age passing (143)

• “Renaissance” = rebirth, rediscovery

• Assertion of human centrality, ability:

• Rise of science (empiricism)

• Rise of the state

• Redefining of Church‟s position

• Questioning of inherited forms

• Here “Awakening Generation” (132)

• 119, 123 complicated politics

• Characters:

• Thon Taddeo Pfardentrott, scholar

• Marcus Apollo, pol. rep. of New Rome

• Dom Paulo, abbot of Leibowitz

• Brother Kornhoer, monk inventor

• Hannegan II, ruler of Texarkana

• Mad Bear, clan chief

• The Poet

• Benjamin

• Thon: “natural philosopher” (125)

• incredulity at past (126-7) & religion

• Dom Paulo: old traditions of Church, fear

of change, dying

• 180-1

• Koernhoer: blend of science & religion

• Apollo: politician of religion; “realpolitik”

• Machiavelli?

• Hannegan: manipulative politician;

expansionist; tries to use Church

• the future

• Mad Bear: politics of force (156)

• The Poet: cynic, truth speaker,

“removable conscience” (219)

• Benjamin: alternate tradition of faith,

voice of history, context

• Turning point in history: 210-11

• Optimism vs caution:

• threat of future 220

• New Reformation 227?

• Or cynical manipulation of faith?

• Electric light 188

• monks slave to the light

• Officers mapping monastery 192

• Rise of state

• State vs church

• vs technology

• War as driver of

technology

• 228ff confrontation

• 234-35 Renaissance: hope and politics

• Last chapter: violence

• Book 3: Fiat Voluntas Tua (thy will be

done)

• Alternate future: space travel, nuclear

energy, computers

• New Cold War: Asian Coalition vs Atlantic

Confederacy

• Introduction: 243-7:

• vision of future

• 1st person “poem” of centuries

• interview with Minister

• Lucifer is fallen

• Fragmented and misleading

communication

• to autoscribe and Abbot Zerchi

• Nuclear test and warning shot

• Quo peregrinatur grex 259

• “Where wanders the flock?”

• Characters:

• Zerchi: despairing (264); stick to

absolutes of the church (315)

• Mrs Grales/Rachel: mutant, miracle birth

• 330-31: baptism and Eucharist

• savior? 232

• Doctor Cors: science‟s response

• Brother Joshua: conflicted 283-8

• indecision in a garden, snake

• will save remnant of mankind

• Conflicts of Book 3:

• role of Church in technological society

• moral teaching vs necessity

and compassion

• free will vs religious decree

• Conclusion of book:

• cyclical history: nuclear war

• Brother Francis (328)

• nature: buzzards and sharks

• (anti) pathetic fallacy

• Entire book . . .

• Cyclical history: pessimistic

• Idiocy of humankind = apocalypse

• Specific cultural fears:

• nuclear war

• battle between faith and science

• dangers of emerging technologies

• reactionary ignorance