The medieval craft of memory: an anthology of texts and pictures

Description

In antiquity and the Middle Ages, memory was a craft, and certain actions and tools were thought to be necessary for its creation and recollection. Until now, however, many of the most important visual and textual sources on the topic have remained untranslated or otherwise difficult to consult. Mary Carruthers and Jan M. Ziolkowski bring together the texts and visual images from the twelfth through the fifteenth centuries that are central to an understanding of memory and memory technique. These sources are now made available for a wider audience of students of medieval and early modern history and culture and readers with an interest in memory, mnemonics, and the synergy of text and image. The art of memory was most importantly associated in the Middle Ages with composition, and those who practiced the craft used it to make new prayers, sermons, pictures, and music. The mixing of visual and verbal media was commonplace throughout medieval cultures: pictures contained... General IntroductionSelection 1. Hugh of St. Victor, The Three Best Memory Aids for Learning HistorySelection 2. Hugh of St. Victor, A Little Book About Constructing Noah's ArkSelection 3. The Guidonian HandSelection 4. [Alan of Lille], On the Six Wings of the SeraphSelection 5. Boncompagno da Signa, On MemorySelection 6. Albertus Magnus, Commentary on Aristotle, On Memory and RecollectionSelection 7. Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on Aristotle, On Memory and RecollectionSelection 8. Francesc Eiximenis, On Two Kinds of Order That Aid Understanding and MemorySelection 9. Thomas Bradwardine, On Acquiring a Trained MemorySelection 10. John of Metz, The Tower of WisdomSelection 11. Jacobus Publicius, The Art of MemorySelection 12. Anonymous, A Method for Recollecting the Gospels Appendix. Two texts on Rhetorical Memoria from Late AntiquityConsultus Fortunatianus, On MemoryC. Julius Victor, On MemoryGeneral BibliographyList of ContributorsIndexAcknowledgments