Llull’s grand schemes were dismissed by contemporaries as the ravings of a madman.

Evidence

The key to providing the rational argumentation for these confrontations is Llull’s Art. The Art, an arcane matrix of interwoven concepts, presented in a complex system of geometrical figures and tree diagrams, has daunted and discouraged many of Llull’s readers from the thirteenth century to the present. Llull himself was aware of this problem, to which he responded by simplifying and streamlining his system and by creating mnemonic devices to help the reader memorize it. — John V. Tolan, Saracens, 1301 (#corroborates, via linked claim)

Llull’s later works reflect both his continuing efforts to adapt his missionary strategy to a changing world and a mounting sense that his work is unappreciated and hence ultimately futile. He laments in De fine, “I cannot make the above-mentioned Arts take root in this world, rather for this I am neglected, since all rush to acquire pompous or lucrative knowledge. And I languish for the public good which I see in the Arts, and I live in sadness in pain, wandering over the world.” In 1311 Llull composed his Phantasticus: he presents himself on his way to the council of Vienne, which he would try to convince to adopt a modified version of the plan laid out in De fine. On his way he meets a successful, worldly archdeacon who, upon learning who his traveling companion is, exclaims: “Ramon, I have often heard about you; they say you are really crazy [phantasticus].” — John V. Tolan, Saracens, 1349 (#expands, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Llull felt his universal Art was neglected in favor of lucrative knowledge — John V. Tolan, Saracens, 1349; Llull’s Art was famously obscure even to its contemporaries — John V. Tolan, Saracens, 1301

Broader Connections

• Llull felt his universal Art was neglected in favor of lucrative knowledge #expands (1.00) — John V. Tolan, Saracens, 1349
• Llull’s Art was famously obscure even to its contemporaries #corroborates (1.00) — John V. Tolan, Saracens, 1301