Wax Tablets of the Mind: Cognitive Studies of Memory and Literacy in Classical Antiquity

by Small,Jocelyn Penny

• ISBN13: 9780415149839
• ISBN10: 0415149835
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1997-09-29
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

Wax Tablets of the Mindexplores the relationship between literacy, orality and memory in classical antiquity, not only from the point of view of antiquity, but also from that of modern cognitive psychology. Jocelyn Penny Small examines how ancient techniques for improving memory continued well into the era of print. This volume represents a timely insight into the topical areas of literacy and memory, and provides a controversial and challenging analysis of the cognitive processes and their modes of display and retrieval.

Table of Contents

Preface	xi	(2)
Introduction	xiii
Part I Logistics of the classical literate	3	(78)
1 MEMORY FOR WORDS	3	(8)
The problem of internal vs. external storage	3	(8)
2 ANCIENT BOOKS	11	(15)
The look and feel of books	11	(3)
Organizational aids within the book	14	(5)
Cognitive aspects of reading text	19	(7)
3 `PUBLICATION'	26	(15)
Final drafts and autograph copies	26	(3)
`Proofing'	29	(4)
Titles	33	(2)
Other forms of transmission	35	(6)
4 THE ORGANIZATION OF COLLECTIONS OF WORDS	41	(12)
Obtaining books	41	(1)
Libraries	42	(5)
Storing books: of pigeonholes, shelves, and jars	47	(3)
Letters	50	(3)
5 RETRIEVAL: DOCUMENTS AND TEXTS	53	(19)
Documents and records	53	(8)
The problem of retrieval: alphabetization and indexing	61	(10)
Conclusion	71	(1)
6 THE COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT OF THE MUSES	72	(9)
Who the Muses are	72	(2)
Cognitive studies of memory for words	74	(2)
The display of the Muses	76	(2)
The Muses and writing	78	(3)
Part II The historical development of ancient memory techniques	81	(60)
7 THE GREEK METHODS	81	(14)
The invention of Simonides	82	(4)
Socrates's and Plato's non-contributions to mnemotechnics	86	(1)
Aristotle and the topoi	87	(7)
Summary	94	(1)
8 THE ROMAN CONTRIBUTION	95	(22)
The architectural places or loci	96	(2)
The Auctor ad Herennium	98	(11)
Quintilian's elaboration of the architectural loci	109	(2)
Mental imagery	111	(6)
9 OTHER ADVICE FOR IMPROVING MEMORY	117	(24)
Quintilian's recommendations	117	(6)
Other recommendations	123	(1)
Modern methods not used in antiquity	123	(3)
Did it work? Ancient feats of memory	126	(5)
An excursus on why we learn by heart in English and French	131	(5)
Conclusion	136	(5)
Part III Writing habits of the literate	141	(99)
10 TOOLS OF THE TRADE	141	(19)
Introduction	141	(4)
Writing tools	145	(5)
`Desks'	150	(5)
Reading stands	155	(3)
Reading without supports	158	(1)
Summary	159	(1)
11 RESEARCH TECHNIQUES	160	(17)
Libraries: their physical set-up	160	(2)
Libraries: how they were used	162	(5)
The use of multiple texts	167	(2)
Taking notes	169	(5)
`Research assistants'	174	(1)
Summary	175	(2)
12 COMPOSING THE WORK	177	(25)
Selecting and ordering excerpts	177	(4)
`Oral composition' in short-term memory	181	(4)
Composing in memory and the ancient historian	185	(3)
The accuracy of their excerpts	188	(13)
Summary	201	(1)
13 TYPES OF WORKS OR GENRES	202	(22)
Conversations or dialogues	202	(4)
Speeches	206	(3)
Revisions	209	(5)
Digressions	214	(3)
Translations	217	(2)
Quotations and citations	219	(4)
Conclusion	223	(1)
14 INDIRECT APPLICATIONS OF THE ART OF MEMORY	224	(16)
Literary shields	225	(2)
Perception of order and magnitude and the topoi	227	(3)
The Roman sense of place, once again	230	(5)
Some cautionary words about objects	235	(2)
A brief comment on illustrations and the art of memory	237	(1)
The art of memory and the art of thinking	238	(1)
Conclusion	239	(1)
Conclusion	240	(5)
Notes	245	(80)
Select bibliography and abbreviations	325	(39)
Index of translated passages	364	(3)
General index	367