TOW #20 (IRB Post): The Art of Memory by Frances Yates

Reading goal: Consider the author’s overall purpose.

Writing goal: Clear and thorough analysis of rhetorical devices and strategies.

It is probably safe to say that everyone in today’s world is familiar with memory, the function in our brains that allows us to store and recall information from our past experiences. What is less common, however, is the concepts of natural and artificial memory. In The Art of Memory, Frances Yates, an author and university professor during the mid-1900s, explores mnemonics, focusing specifically on a technique she fittingly calls the art of memory.

This practice involves imagining some sort of building with many rooms. In each room, there are an assortment of objects, each assigned to a specific idea. In order to remember the idea, each object has a theme that relates to the idea. By creating a mental image of this building, a person can go through each room, recollecting their items, and consequently remembering pieces of information.

Yates explains this idea mainly through citing the works of early scholars and philosophers, including those of Plato, Aristotle, Augustine, and Simonides. While there is some variation in their views on the subject, the general premise is constant throughout. This heavy reliance on outside sources is the most notable rhetorical strategy Yates uses. Through the juxtaposition of different ideas, it is easy to see how the theory has evolved over time, taking on many different forms and applications. At the same time, these quotations strengthen Yates’ credibility by supporting her ideas; in fact, they usually precede her commentary. By doing this, Yates allows the reader to interpret the original text objectively, and then choose whether to agree with him.

So far, Yates appears to be writing with the purpose of providing her audience with a cumulative view of the art of memory. Though she compares and contrasts the idea of the different scholars, which might indicate more of an analytical purpose, she maintains a didactic tone throughout this portion of the text, breaking down the work of early practitioners in an attempt to extract their purpose. Therefore, Yates seems to be concerned primarily with informing her audience, who is presumably uneducated in this field.

Because this book was published in 1966, the general public was probably less aware of psychology and the brain due to the absence of modern technology. Despite this, Yates accompanies each citation with an insight that clarifies the intent of the original author, and effectively achieves her purpose.