Memory in Oral Traditions

"This is such a good book. He applies learning from cognitive science to help us understand oral traditions, stories passed down by word of mouth, including The Iliad and The Odyssey . He takes a cross-disciplinary approach. One of the things he writes about is that the ancients understood things about cognition that have only been rediscovered recently. Right. The use of visual imagery to imprint memories is not the only mnemonic device. Rhyme and rhythm are also mnemonic. One of the best ways to make something memorable is by using rhyme and meter and rhythm and song. That seems to be how The Odyssey and The Iliad were transmitted. Support Five Books Five Books interviews are expensive to produce. If you're enjoying this interview, please support us by donating a small amount . Scientists have tested mnemonic techniques and proved that they work. Studies show that you can easily teach elderly people to use memory techniques, but that once they leave laboratory conditions, they forget to apply the techniques. Cognitive science has taught us that learning to retain information is easy, but that remembering to remember is hard. It’s intuitive, but important to keep in mind, that if you don’t try to make things memorable you’ll forget them."