The art of forgetting the Middle Ages: Cornelius Agrippa's rethoric of extinction

• Autores: Tomás Zamora
• Localización: Sixteenth century journal: the journal of Early Modern Studies, ISSN 0361-0160, Nº. 2, 2015, págs. 359-380
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • 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 rethoric 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 server 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.