Types of Narrative History

GaryG48 · Mon Mar 22, 2010 3:29 pm

I ran across a new to me distinction within the genre of narrative history: traditional and modern. Just a note, I think the "modern" is not as in "modernism" but only a synonym for "newer."

Traditional narrative history emphasizes individual people and events.

Modern narrative history emphasizes sociological ideas.

A criticism of traditional narrative history is that it is too narrow, “great man history.”

A criticism of modern narrative history is that it is filled with unimportant, trivial facts.

I can't think of a example of the modern variety; I guess that means I like the traditional kind.

GaryG48 · Fri Mar 26, 2010 10:34 am

So, here are some "traditional" pop-history authors with an example or two of their works. These are writers that emphasize narrative, personality, and detail:

Older British

E.R. Thompson The Making of the English Working Class
A.J.P. Taylor Churchill Revisited
Christopher Hill God's Englishman

Contemporary British

Christopher Hibbert Agincourt
Simon Schama Rough Crossings

Older American

Barbra Tuchman Guns of August
Francis Parkman The Oregon Trail

Contemporary American

Stephen Ambrose Undoubted Courage
Doris Kearns Goodwin Team of Rivals
Bruce Catton Civil War Trilogy (esp. The Coming Furry)
Shelby Foote The Civil War Narrative (esp. Shiloh)

GaryG48 · Fri Mar 26, 2010 11:03 am

Here are three more traditional pop-historians that are special, each in their own way,

Jacque Barzun (d. 2008) an academic who’s most recent book, From Dawn to Decadence is a most un-PC history of Western Civilization from 1500 – present. There has been unfavorable mention of this book elsewhere on this board. I liked it a lot. Barzun also wrote House of Intellect which claims modern American culture has destroyed traditional intellect. His writer’s guide, Simple and Direct is, IMHO, the best of its genre. I use it in real life almost every day.

Paul Johnson is a British professional historian who’s style is approachable by every English reader. His, History of the American People was wildly popular in the first half of this decade. I like it but I prefer his Intellectuals which I will suggest in the Non-Fiction category here.

Howard Zinn’s (d January 2010) A People’s History of the United States demonstrates that the Marx’s tradition in American pop-history will never die. Zinn makes Michal Moore look like a right-wing conservative. Come to think of it, he makes Marx look conservative.

etudiant · Fri Mar 26, 2010 3:43 pm

Yes, I think that is the trend today Gary. I first noticed this about ten years ago when I took some university courses after a long absence from this sort of endeavor, and found that the idea of history had changed somewhat, in academia anyway. Lists of dates were out, social trends were in.

I’ve actually found this a breath of fresh air, and I think it makes history what it is supposed to be- an interesting story of the human experience. There are two works that really illustrate this for me. Pierre Berton, a prominent Canadian writer, compiled a two-volume work on the War of 1812, some time ago now. It sold very well, but I found it as dry as dust, with facts added up in the manner an accountant would list entries into an accounts receivable and an accounts payable. A much later rendering of the same topic is For Honor’s Sake, by Mark Zuehlke, from about 2006. I found this book had much broader scope, and illuminated the society of the time. Listing of facts took a back seat.

LeoWong · Mon Nov 22, 2010 7:24 am

Jacque Barzun (d. 2008)

A Conversation with Jacques Barzun (2010)

LeoWong · Thu Apr 14, 2011 11:44 am

Michael Murray, Jacques Barzun: Portrait of a Mind (Kindle edition, 2011) has something to say about Barzun's view of narrative history.

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