Imperfect Histories puts "imperfection" at the heart of a theory of historical representation. Ann Rigney shows how historical writing involves dealing with intractable subjects that resist our effort
The role which narrative discourse plays in the writing of history is an area of increasing interest to historians and literary theorists, resulting in some of the most stimulating and controversial historiographical work in recent years. The rhetoric of historical representation represents one of the first attempts to carry out a sustained textual analysis of historiographical practice. Ann Rigney focusses on three celebrated nineteenth-century histories of the French Revolution, written by Alphonse de Lamartine, Jules Michelet and Louis Blanc. What distinguishes her account is the sensitivity and sophistication with which she handles the semiotic issues each text raises. She shows how a greater understanding of the specific features of historical narration can be achieved through a comparative analysis of the different representations of a common event. This fresh new perspective on a long-standing historiographical debate brings into relief the ways in which the narrative medium
"Sir Walter Scott (1771-1832) was a household name in the nineteenth century; once an immensely popular writer, he is now largely forgotten. This book explores how Scott's work became an all-pervasive
How do memories circulate transnationally and to what effect? How can we understand the enduring role of national memories and their simultaneous reconfiguration under globalization? This book charts
Scholars of literature and culture, with the odd social scientist, provide a bridge between the social dynamics of cultural memory and the dynamics specific to the ongoing emergence of new media pract
