How to write and interpret history – Book review
Mark Day, The Philosophy of History: An Introduction (London: Continuum, 2008)
If this book has done nothing else, it has at least introduced me to the work of Paul Ricoeur.
But it has done more than this, by showing how questions of epistemology and hermeneutics have been discussed in the field of historiography.
This in turn is suggestive of ways in which hermeneutics and epistemology need to be considered within the field of theology. Indeed there are direct parallels or even areas of overlap within what Day writes.
If the writing is aimed at students of history, the ideas are nevertheless of much wider application.
In particular, I am interested in Day’s analysis of historiography as narrative, which links with Christian Salmon’s Storytelling and with the BBC series ‘The Tudors’, as well as tying up nicely with Ricoeur (and Rowan Williams?) with regard to theology.
test Filed under Books, History | Comments (2)2 Responses to “How to write and interpret history – Book review”
Leave a Reply
Hello Joel! It’s great to read your review – Katie had alerted me to its existence! Ricoeur is certainly interesting, though I have always found him something of a struggle to read. (Perhaps if you can read him in the original French that would help.) Hayden White is another on narrative that I have found, on the contrary, extremely readable. Anyway, if you ever want to follow up on any of these issues do get in touch.
Best wishes
Mark
Thanks Mark, I’m planning to read Ricoeur, and also Barthes on narrative. I’ll have a look at Hayden White too!
Joel