About the lecture:
Metaphor most brings about learning, said Aristotle in book 3 of his Rhetoric. The teaching of figurative language presumes a psychology of emotions as cognitive tools, allowing us to learn from anger or sorrow even as we are moved to these feelings. But the teaching of figurative language in medieval rhetoric was not necessarily explicit about this psychology. How can we now grasp what was then understood about arousing emotion to produce not only delight but also understanding and knowledge? In this lecture I reevaluate the accounts of tropes and figures in medieval rhetorical teaching to identify how particular emotional and cognitive impact was calibrated.
About the Medieval Academy of America:
The Medieval Academy is very pleased to sponsor the Annual Medieval Academy Lecture at the International Medieval Congress. The goal is to contribute a major scholarly lecture to the offerings of the Congress while better serving the Academy’s many members who reside outside North America. Information regarding the Medieval Academy and the benefits of membership, which is open to all medievalists worldwide, is available at www.medievalacademy.org
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