SF and History

What is the Christian element in the vision of history developed by Miller through the course of A Canticle for Leibowitz?  

Does the novel imply that humanity is condemned to repeat its own mistakes? In a repetitive and entropic way? What alternatives or solutions are envisaged by the narrative? 

What is the relation of technology (or the history of man’s mastery of technology) with the larger issue of human history as implied by the novel? 

Contrast Miller’s evocation of the culture of monastic life with that evoked by Hesse. What is the role played by such an evocation in the larger narrative? 

How does the narrative incorporate the biblical traditions of prophecy and apocalyptic vision into its quasi-historical narrative? 

Note how the link between the role of fire as agent of destruction and purification, or that of light as the medium for vision and the agent of blinding (when in excess) are combined in the novel. Do you see the narrative as condemnatory of the Promethean/Luciferian elements symbolized as light and fire? 

What is the role of human agency in the patterns of history developed as the narrative in A Canticle for Leibowitz? 

Is the redemptive wish expressed in the narrative a function of a resigned acceptance of man’s fallen nature? What is the role of the human in divine redemption? 

Paul Brians Questions: 

Why is old Benjamin said to have lived for 5,408 years (in chp.13)? 

What evidence is there that Benjamin is the Wandering Jew, or some variation on that theme? What evidence is there later in chapter 16 that he doesn't fit the Wandering Jew tradition precisely? 

How does this story leave you feeling about humanity? Is it optimistic? Pessimistic? Purely nihilistic?