Isidoro e i lettori difficili: indicazioni di metodo per una compilazione efficace

This article examines some texts in which Isidore of Seville expresses his programmatic ideas about encyclopedic writing, namely that it should be characterized by a substantial need for clarity and brevity, and suitable for satisfying the expectations of a public that loved exhaustive but synthetic writing. The analysis considers some commonplaces of encyclopedic treatises and exegetic tradition and shows their importance for Isidore’s literary memory.