ABSTRACT
Historical investigations may begin with a question about the past, or a doubt about a recent interpretation of some historical event. They usually involve an extensive search for materials relevant to the initial concern, and the gradual development of ideas about the subject. Eventually the time comes to assemble the information and ideas and to present them to the public. There are several ways of doing this. Intellectual historians will set out to analyse an author’s ideas; cultural historians will describe a range of symbols and practices, and what they meant in the society that produced them. Two of the more common forms of historical synthesis take the form of historical narratives and historical explanations. This chapter is about narratives, and Chapter 8 will examine explanations. Often narratives are designed to provide explanations, combining the two forms in one, but it remains useful to consider them separately.
