“When discussing the rule that memory loci are to be formed in quiet places he says that the best type of building to use is an unfrequented church. He describes how he goes round the church he has chosen three or four times, committing the places in it to memory. He chooses his first place near the door; the next, five or six feet further in; and so on. As a young man he started with one hundred thousand memorized places, but he has added many more since then. “
Pg. 134 (Yates)
As I began reading, I couldn't help but acknowledge the truth behind solitary study tactics. I sometimes kid myself and try to multi task, whether that be television or radio, yet in the end I have to turn off all distractions in order to solely focus on the task at hand. Even as I was studying for the 51 memorized "things" with music playing softly from my computer, I soon found myself distracted and unable to find memorable loci with the dull roar of Matt and Kim in the background.
However, I wasn’t to focus on the latter half of the Yates' quote. As a young man Peter of Ravenna had memorized how many places? ONE HUNDERED THOUSAND?! How realistic is this?
Yates goes on to say:
“[Peter] can repeat from memory the whole of the canon law, text and gloss (he was a jurist trained at Padua); two hundred speeches or sayings of Cicero; three hundred sayings of the philosophers; twenty thousand legal points.”
I am so impressed. I am struggling with my 500 page LSAT study book/guide and here Mr. Peter of Ravenna is recreating architectural brilliance through mnemonic loci. Last summer I traveled to Europe and made my rounds to several historical landmarks. If you asked me to recall these places (sistine chapel, colosseum ext.) in detail-- I wouldn't be able to without the help of snapped photographs.
However, I was just telling Megan Mother of the Muses, (I think) my memory is improving! I find it takes less time for me to assign loci to events, names or school material. Pretty cool stuff. . .
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