Two Encyclopedias of the Medieval West: Alexander Neckam and Bartholomaeus Anglicus.

Following a conventionally adopted schema, both authors take into consideration two XIII C. encyclopedias belonging to the first kind (the so-called "inventory encyclopedias" as distinct from "generative encyclopedias") and focus their analysis upon the themes of nature and of men’s society. It is thus possible to point out two different theoretical attitudes, as well as two different levels for knowledge on the background of a frame presenting relevant structure and style analogies, determined both by the audience homogeneity on one side, and by the persistency of some fundamental axioms (dating back to Augustinus) on the other side. The rupture with the tradition, testified by vivacious and radical criticism, is carried out by Bacon’s and Lullus’ encyclopedical projects, which no more oriented their interests upon the exclusive problem of the growing amount of information necessitating of exposition, but rather mainly upon that of the generative structures of knowledge. The metaphor of the “tree” substitutes herself to the formerly prevailing one of the "mirror": the "genus" encyclopedia, once closed system of information, starts to become an organical structure and an open organization of knowledge. - [Abstract]

Language: Italian