The Art of Forgetting the Middle Ages: Cornelius Agrippa's Rhetoric of Extinction
The appearance of arts of forgetting during the golden age of mnemotechnics offers a unique perspective on the interaction between history, memory, and forgetting at a time of paradigmatic change. This article explores this interaction through Cornelius Agrippa's De incertitudine et vanitate ar...
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Sixteenth Century Journal Publishers, Inc.
2015
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| In: |
The sixteenth century journal
Year: 2015, Volume: 46, Issue: 2, Pages: 359-380 |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (JSTOR) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Parallel Edition: | Non-electronic
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| Summary: | The appearance of arts of forgetting during the golden age of mnemotechnics offers a unique perspective on the interaction between history, memory, and forgetting at a time of paradigmatic change. This article explores this interaction through Cornelius Agrippa's De incertitudine et vanitate artium et scientiarum, a declamation calling for a return to simple faith and understanding. Drawing on the work of Umberto Eco and Paul Ricoeur, I propose that De incertitudine can be read as a rhetoric of extinction analogous to arts of forgetting. Its systematic undermining of human knowledge reveals that Agrippa's search for origins was also informed by a desire to consciously sever the links with medieval traditions. Awareness of the parameters and limitations of this aimed forgetting contributes a new dimension to understanding the work of Agrippa and his contemporaries, and also invites a reconsideration of its continuing impact on the perception of the European Middle Ages. |
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| ISSN: | 2326-0726 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: The sixteenth century journal
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