Resumen de William of Conches, Philosophical Continuous Narration, and the Limited Worlds of Medieval Diagrams
A consideration of the diagrams in a Bohemian copy of the Dragmaticon philosophiae—a medieval, encyclopedic dialog by William of Conches (circa 1090 to after 1154)—currently in the Biblioteca Nacional de España in Madrid. A selection of additional figures from this copy provides a set of case studies that permit an investigation into the forms, uses, and decorative potential of medieval, scientific, and philosophical diagrams. The author focuses specifically on three diagrams: namely those illustrating William's argument for the roundness of the earth, the two-property planar syzygy, and the wind rose. These selections command respect on their own artistic terms, while also revealing a complicated story about the textual transmission of medieval diagrams.
