The Book of Memory. A Study of Memory in Medieval Culture

The Book of Memory is a magisterial and beautifully illustrated account of the workings and function of memory in medieval society. Memory was the psychological faculty valued above all others in the period stretching from late antiquity through the Renaissance. The prominence given to memory has profound implications for the contemporary understanding of all creative activity, and the social role of literature and art. Drawing on a range of fascinating examples from Dante, Chaucer, and Aquinas to the symbolism of illuminated manuscripts, this unusually wide-ranging book offers new insights into the medieval world.

Contents
Introduction;
1. Models for the memory;
2. Descriptions of the neuropsychology of memory;
3. Elementary memory design;
4. The arts of memory;
5. Memory and the ethics of reading;
6. Memory and authority;
7. Memory and the book;
Afterword;
Appendixes;
List of abbreviations;
Bibliography.