Memory in the Pedagogical Literary Works late medieval

Abstract

The present study analyses the most important late medieval thinkers on the nature and didactic uses of memory. This fascinating subject has been approached from a variety of perspectives: psychology, history, epistemology, philosophy, and sociology. However, further analysis from the point of view of didactics and pedagogy has so far been lacking. This study aims to fill this gap by consulting a range of Latin sources, many of which have received little research attention to date: Boncompagno da Signa, Hugh of St Victor, Vincent of Beauvais, Gilbert of Tournai, etc. The faculty of memory has long been ignored by present-day culture, and we have forgotten one of its chief properties: memory is one of the most decisive elements in cultural reflection and creativity, making the 12th and 13th centuries one of the most interesting and creative eras in the cultural history of the West.