Gedächtnismetaphorik

Abstract

The article presents three different ways of dealing with metaphors of memory. First, metaphors of memory, for example the wax tablet and the storehouse, are understood as models (Weinrich, Assmann) that serve as a basis for research on memory (see Blumenberg's concept of 'background metaphors') . Second, a relation between metaphors of memory and the evolution of media is asserted, with writing, in particular, conceived of as nearly congruent with memory (Carruthers, Haverkamp). Furthermore, a complex metaphor of digestion for oral memory (Goody/ Watt) and several inter-medial metaphors like the eating of texts (oral! scriptural; Butzer) or the theatre of memory (acting images; Bems) are presented. In addition to this, the metaphorical potential of 'new media' (photography, ftlm, computer) is discussed. Third, some remarks on the connections between metaphors of memory and cu/tural practices are made.

Translatio and Memory as Cultural Metaphors. Analogies, Touch Points, and Interactions

“…Hence the emergence of nutritive metaphors in translation and memory discourses. This line of mnemonic reflection was reconstructed by Günter Butzer (2005) and Aleida Assmann (2009), who demonstrated a similarity between the mechanisms of memoria (remembering, brooding, and forgetting) and metabolic processes (swallowing, digesting, and absorbing salutary and nutritious content and excreting unwanted and superfluous content). The image of memory as a stomach can be traced back to Saint Augustine and the polysemous qualities of the Latin word ruminatio.…”