{T}he obverse of facile emotion in the 14th century was a general insensitivity to the spectacle of pain and death.
In Barbara W. Tuchman's book "A Distant Mirror: The Calamitous 14th Century," she explores how the society of this period grappled with emotional responses. While there was a tendency towards superficial expressions of emotion, it contrasted sharply with a widespread desensitization to suffering, pain, and death. This dichotomy reveals a complex relationship between people's emotional states and the harsh realities they faced during a time of great turmoil.
Tuchman's analysis highlights how the challenges of the 14th century, including famine, disease, and war, shaped societal reactions. The individuals of this era often experienced a numbing effect, leading them to be largely unresponsive to the tragedies around them. This insensitivity suggests a coping mechanism in response to the pervasive hardships and perhaps an attempt to maintain some semblance of normalcy amid chaos.
