It was recommened that we check out page 41 of The Art of Memory, which provides examples of discreet items that were memorized in classical times and by those of classical persuasion. But many of us already have ideas for our fifty discreet items in mind already: Chris plans to memorise the names of rabbis from the Talmud(which is a collection of commentary on the Torah, by the way), and Jared plans to memorise the names of superheroes. As for myself, I will probably try memorising the first fifty films on AFI's top 100 list(or perhaps some other film list, we'll see).

It is somewhat daunting, perhaps. But it is not an impossible task. Richard Burton(the translator of The Arabian Nights, not the British actor)learned to speak thirteen languages fluently. Whoa-ee.

There was also more discussion of Groundhog Day, such as the suggestion that it is actually similar to The Tempest. And how Bill Murrey's character becomes an artist, in the amount of time devoted to one day that he has.

This led into a dissertation on an early moment in The Tempest in which Miranda is prompted by Prospero into 'imaginatively actualising' her early childhood. She remembers that four or five women attended her, leading Prospero to ask if perhaps there were a few more. Is it possible that there were four others, whihc would link the childhood attendents to the Muses?

We also had a note from Ted Hughes, analysing Shakespeare's lines, which he describes as two nouns joined by "and" animating a third noun. A bit formulaic, but still intersting I thought.