History is an essential component of human societal development, and the transmission and memory of history are crucial for social progress and cultural prosperity. The transmission and influence of historical narratives and historical memory are both a reproduction and interpretation of historical events and a review and reflection on past experiences. They not only influence individual cognition and values but also shape the ideology and collective memory of the entire society. Historical narratives are the reproduction and interpretation of historical events, presenting past events, figures, and social backgrounds to future generations through storytelling. Historical narratives can be academic historical works or popular historical novels and films.
Inheriting Culture and Values
Transmitting Cultural Essence:
Historical stories are an important vehicle for cultural transmission. By recounting historical events and figures, they pass on a nation's cultural traditions, values, and behavioral norms to future generations. These stories often contain rich cultural connotations, helping people understand and identify with their own national culture.
Shaping Moral Values:
Many historical stories contain profound moral implications, such as loyalty, courage, and justice. Through vivid plots and characters, these stories subtly influence people's moral values, guiding them to establish correct values and a worldview.
The Significance of Historical Narrative
Narrative is a crucial element that distinguishes history from science in the general sense while simultaneously connecting it to literature. While historians cannot fabricate stories like novelists, they can still use rhetoric, imagination, textual arrangement, plot construction, and even argumentation models to tell a captivating "story." Historians do not reject narrative; on the contrary, they use it to expand and deepen the meaning and connotation of their works. Even for historians who oppose reproducing the past through narrative, an unavoidable question remains: how to transform what is known into what can be narrated. Given the important role of narrative in history, or the narrative attributes inherent in history, narrativeist historical theorists like Hayden White argue that history, like literature, is a type within the larger category of narrative.
The Revival and Challenges of Narrative
In the West, since the mid-19th century, the role of narrative in history has gradually declined. Historians are no longer keen on telling stories with clear beginnings, processes, and endings, but rather focus more on the issue of evidence in reflecting the truth of the past. The verification and authentication of historical materials became the focus of research, while narrative history shifted towards a scientific approach that pursued objectivity, accuracy, and standardization. However, despite this shift, narrative did not completely disappear from history.
In the 1950s, quantitative history emerged, becoming a new tool for historians to explore and understand the past. But at the same time, in his 1979 article, "The Resurgence of Narrative: Reflections on a New Tradition of History," British historian Lawrence Stone offered a profound analysis of the return of narrative history. He pointed out that although mathematical and scientific methods occupied a place in historical research, narrative still played an indispensable role. The revival of narrative is essentially a reflection on and dissatisfaction with the over-reliance on quantitative methods and economic determinism in historical research.
In the process of using quantitative methods to process complex historical materials, historians inevitably make misinterpretations or omissions. The role played by human culture, individual will, and public mentality in interpreting history is equally undeniable. The latter, in particular, emphasizes the central role of humanity in weaving the web of meaning, highlighting its profound connection with culture, symbolism, signifiers, and language, thus driving the "cultural turn" in history. Under this turn, history is no longer merely a process of seeking patterns, but rather a commitment to interpreting various meanings.
In conclusion
In an era of globalization and information technology, the transmission and influence of historical narratives and memories have become even more crucial. We should value the power of history and cherish its experiences and lessons. By inheriting historical narratives and memories, we can better understand our past and future, expanding the boundaries of personal cognition and culture. Only by maintaining the transmission and influence of historical narratives and memories can we move forward in this new era and create a better future.