Jami Leibowitz, Ph.D. Leslie Pagliari, Ph.D. Global Academic Initiatives.
A Canticle for Leibowitz
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Transcript of A Canticle for Leibowitz
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A Canticle for Leibowitz
Life after nuclear war can be an exciting adventure
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The Setting America following a nuclear war At that time, science fiction writers
would refer to this kind of setting as “post-holocaust”
Pre-war knowledge is gathered and preserved by the Catholic church
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The three sections Fiat Homo = “Let there be man”
Fiat Lux = “Let there be light”
Fiat Voluntas Tua = “Thy Will Be Done”
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Context for Leibowitz Written at a time when there was a
concern over nuclear war (1959)
Setting is a post-nuclear world
Knowledge is preserved, but not fully understood
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Key Themes Things that once were culturally
relevant are now archaic, ceremonial and no longer fully understood by everyone
Examples: Latin references, the shopping list, etc.
Book becomes its own metaphor
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Key Themes In a post-apocalyptic world,
communication breaks down
Communities live in isolation
People live without understanding technology
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Futility of the present People spend time doing jobs they
do not understand Fear that humanity may not have
learned the lessons of the past Does humankind have the ability
to survive the worst?
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Religion After the decline of the Roman
Empire, monks kept knowledge alive Novel plays upon that idea, with main
characters who are custodians of manuscripts
But the characters do not understand much of what they preserve
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Brother Frances His character is based on the life of
a monk in Medieval times
Updated to reflect post-apocalyptic world
Science is in its infancy in his world
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An ancient “artifact” (p. 26) “He handled the papers as he
might handle holy things”
A shopping list
“Pound pastrami, can kraut, six bagels – bring home for Emma.”
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Summary As you read “Canticle” think about
whether or not the novel allows for hope for humanity
Also consider the rate of progess. How far does science advance?
What role does history play in this work?