What Is a Classic in History? - The Making of a Historical Canon

"Why do some historical works, such as those of Herodotus or Gibbon, capture the imaginations of readers across generations? This study explores the power of these so-called 'classics', investigating the construction and consolidation of historical genres while innovatively examining the historiographical canon"--

List of contents

Introduction; 1. The conditions for durability; 2. The dynamics of the classic; 3. The inescapability of the canon; 4. The canonical function of historical genres; 5. Genealogy as double agent; Conclusions.

About the author

Jaume Aurell is Professor of Medieval History at the University of Navarra. He has a particular interest in medieval and modern historiography. His previous publications include Medieval Self-Coronations (Cambridge, 2020), Theoretical Perspectives on Historians' Autobiographies (2015) and Authoring the Past (2012).

Summary

Why do some historical works, such as those of Herodotus or Gibbon, capture the imaginations of readers across generations? This study explores the power of these so-called 'classics', investigating the construction and consolidation of historical genres while innovatively examining the historiographical canon.

Product details

• Authors: Jaume Aurell, Jaume (University of Navarra) Aurell, Aurell Jaume
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press ELT
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 22.02.2024
• EAN: 9781009469968
• ISBN: 978-1-0-0946996-8
• No. of pages: 354
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > History > General, dictionaries; History: theory & methods, HISTORY / Historiography, c 1500 onwards to present day, c 1000 BCE to start of CE period, Modern Period, C 1500 Onwards, BCE to c 500 CE, History: theory and methods