From: Matthew Freestone <matthew@matthewf.demon.co.uk>
Subject: (urth) art of memory
Date: Sat, 4 Apr 1998 13:32:02 +0100


[Posted from URTH, a mailing list about Gene Wolfe's New Sun and other works]

>From: Michael Straight <straight@email.unc.edu>

>Weer's house also recalls the old (medieval?) technique of memory by
>constructing a mental "castle" and, in the mind's eye, placing each thing
>or event you want to remember in a seperate room of your castle, using
>images to represent what you want to remember.  
The techniques of artificial memory are much older than the middle ages.
In fact, Simonides, in the Soldier books, was one of the great
practitioners of the art in classical times. 
Frances Yates' book "The Art of Memory" is a fascinating history of the
subject. It crops up in John Crowley's "AEgypt", and "Little, Big" too.

Best,
--                              II         |\      _,,,---,,_
Matt Freestone                  II    zzz. /,`.-'`'    -.  ;-;;,_.
matthew@matthewf.demon.co.uk    II        |,4-  ) )-,_. ,\ (  `'-'
www.matthewf.demon.co.uk/       II       '---''(_/--'  `-'\_)


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