The Quest for a Universal Language: A Study of the Art of Memory in the Renaissance

The general concern of this paper is to locate a tradition of the Art of Memory as historically primary when discussing the renaissance proposition of a structured encyclopaedic system or ‘universal language'. More specifically, my arguments operate on two fronts. I intend to trace a historical tradition of this art from its rhetorical roots in antiquity, its practical application in Medieval Music and observe its influence in the renaissance by way of crafting a ‘universal theatre’ or ‘memory theatre’ as exhibited in the work of Giulio Camillo. Further, I intend to interpret the Art of Memory as an indispensable component of renaissance epistemology, outlining one of the greatest philosophic achievements of the late Quattrocento and early Cinquecento periods, focusing specifically on the mnemotechnical advances as evidenced in the works of Raymond Lull, Camillo and Giordano Bruno among others. .............................................................................................