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What is history? From Thucydides to Toynbee historians and nonhistorians alike have wondered how to answer this question. A New Philosophy of History reflects on developments over the last two decades in historical writing, not least the renewed interest in the status of narrative itself and the presence of the authorial "voice." Subjects include the problems of Grand Narrative, multiple voices and the personal presence of the historian in his text, the ambitions of the French Annales school and the so-called "Grand Chronicler," and the relevance of non-literary models—museum presentations and picturings—regarding historical discourse.

The range of approaches found in A New Philosophy of History ensures that this book will establish itself as required reading not only for historians, but for everyone interested in literary theory, philosophy, or cultural studies.

This volume presents essays by Hans Kellner, Nancy F. Partner, Richard T. Vann, Arthur C. Danto, Linda Orr, Philippe Carrard, Ann Rigney, Allan Megill, Robert Berkhofer, Stephen Bann, and Frank Ankersmit.

“This may well be the most important contribution to the linguistically informed study of historiography since Hayden White’s Metahistory.  Looking at historical texts, Kellner is able to show us that they are more complex, and bear a more complicated relationship to reality, than we think.  His scholarship is not only sound but is on the cutting edge or recent reflection on historiography.  .  .  .  The insights, not rarely, are stunning.”—Allan Megill, University of Iowa