Narrative and History

de Alun Munslow

How do historians write the past as history? What are the functions of historical narratives? How can we author a past that cannot speak for itself? In this updated second edition of a seminal text, Alun Munslow explains and illustrates the narrative decisions of author-historians. Bringing together a full range of theorists, including Paul Ricoeur, Hayden White, Frank Ankersmit and Gérard Genette, Narrative and history: considers a range of author-historian decisions through concepts such as epistemological and aesthetic choice, ethics and ideology. Defines the functions of narration, authoral voice and characterisation. Explores the consequences of historical representation beyond the textual in film, public history, performance and digitisation. Charting a new path for unconventional historical forms, this second edition features material on the legacy of 'the literary turn', a revised bibliography and updated glossary entries. Comprehensive and enlightening, it is an invaluable companion for undergraduate and postgraduate students of historiography.