Scripta Classica Israelica

Madness into Memory: Mania and Mnēmē in Greek Culture

Scripta Classica Israelica April 18, 2020 Yulia Ustinova 22 citations

The faculty of memory, comprising memorization and remembrance, is often viewed as entirely rational. This paper focuses on three phenomena, poetry, mystery initiations, and Plato’s philosophy, in order to demonstrate that in some spheres, mania and mnêmê intertwined. The poet’s memory is only partially his own: he recalls and commemorates in the grip of divine inspiration, when he is out of...