History And Narrative Reader, The

Description:
Are historians story-tellers? Is it possible to tell true stories about the past? These are just a couple of the questions raised in this comprehensive collection of texts about philosophy, theory and methodology of writing history. Drawing together seminal texts from philosophers and historians, this volume presents the great debate over the narrative character of history from the 1960s onwards. The History and Narrative Reader combines theory with practice to offer a unique overview of this debate and illuminates the practical implications of these philosophical debates for the writing of history. The editor's introduction offers a succinct survey of the subject to support the readings, which explore the role of narrative in: Historical understanding Human action Linguistics and structure The practice of history Including the work of F R Ankersmit, David Carr, Hayden White, W H Dray and Frederick Olafson, The History and Narrative Reader is a practical and philosophical guide to the history and narrative debate. With a detailed bibliography and a glossary of key concepts, this collection will prove an invaluable resource for students of historical theory and m

Table of Contents:
Introduction: the history and narrative debate, 1960-2000 - Geoffrey Roberts Part 1: Narrative and historical understanding 1. W. H. Dray - On the nature and role of narrative in history 2. W.B. Gallie - Narrative and historical understanding 3. Maurice Mandelbaum - A note on history as narrative 4. Richard G. Ely - Mandelbaum on historical narrative: a discussion Part 2: Narrative and human action 5. Frederick A. Olafson - The dialectic of action 6. M.C. lemon - The structure of narrative 7. Geoffrey Roberts - Geoffrey Elton: history and human action 8. Geoffrey Roberts - J.H. Hexter: narrative history and common sense Part 3: Narrative and historical realism 9. David Carr - Narrative and the real world: an argument for continuity 10. W.H. Dray - Narrative and historical realism 11. Andrew P. Norman - Telling it like it was: historical narratives on their own terms 12. David Carr - Getting the story straight: narrative and historical knowledge Part 4: Narrative history and the linguistic turn 13. Louis O. Mink - Narrative form as a cognitive instrument 14. Hayden White - The historical text as literary artifact 15. F.R. Ankersmit - Six theses on narrativist philosophy of history 16. Noel Carroll - Interpretation, history and narrative Part 5. Narrative and structure 17. Francois Furet - From narrative history to problem-oriented history 18. Lawrence Stone - The revival of narrative: reflections on a new old history 19. Eric Hobsbawm - The revival of narrative: some comments 20. Peter Burke - History of events and the revival of narrative 21. Edgar Kiser - The revival of narrative in historical sociology: what rational choice theory can contribute Part 6. Narrative and the practice of history 22. Kenneth C. Dewar - Where to begin and how: narrative openings in Donald Creighton's Historiography 23. Margaret R. Somers - Narrativity, narrative identity, and social action: rethinking English working-class formation 24. Hayden White - Historical emplotment and the problem of truth 25. Patrick Finney - International history, theory and the origins of World War II 26. William Cronon - A place for stories: nature, history and narrative.