Giordano Bruno and the Art of Memory

Catalog description

The Art of Memory reached a peak of refinement and complexity during the Italian Renaissance. More than just tools for passive retention of information: memory devices were designed to structure thought, organize knowledge, answer philosophical questions, and even create new content. This course will examine how culture of memory impacted on literary production, emphasizing the symbiotic relationship between textual and visual codes. A central figure in our study will be the heretic philosopher and cosmologist Giordano Bruno, burnt at the stake by the Roman Inquisition in 1600. Bruno conceived his elaborate mnemonic system as a mirror of the infinite universe and nature's creative principles. We will begin with an exploration of Bruno's works explicitly devoted to memory, tracing both continuity and innovation in relation to earlier traditions. We will then engage with Bruno's Italian dialogues, his writings on magic, and his satirical comedy "Candlebearer", seeking connections between his memory theory and his literary style, doctrine of infinity and strategy of self-representation.