Historical narrative

An account of the past that selects and connects events into an intelligible sequence. Its structure gives events order, emphasis, and relationships.

Historical source: A trace or record from the past used to investigate historical questions. Sources supply the evidence a narrative selects and interprets.
Plot: The structured arrangement of events in a story, including their connections and development. Plot organizes selected past events into a pattern with direction and consequence.
Chronicle: A record of events arranged in chronological order, often with limited causal interpretation. A chronicle records sequence; historical narrative more explicitly connects events into an account.
Collective memory: Shared representations of the past maintained by a group through stories, practices, and institutions. Historical narratives help groups select and transmit memories of their past.
Historical objectivity: The aspiration to make historical claims answerable to evidence rather than personal preference or political convenience. Narratives raise the question of how interpretation can remain disciplined by evidence.
Historical evidence: Information from sources that supports, qualifies, or challenges claims about the past. Evidence constrains which events and connections a narrative can credibly include.
Periodization: The division of history into named periods based on chosen boundaries or features. Period boundaries give narratives turning points and distinguish one historical phase from another.
Historical fiction: Fiction set in a past period that combines invented elements with historical settings or events. Historical fiction may use narrative techniques while making claims differently from historical accounts.
National historiography: The writing of a nation's history, often organized around its origins, development, and identity. National histories show how narrative choices can support or contest a shared political identity.
Historical empathy: The effort to understand past people in terms of their own circumstances and available knowledge. Empathy asks how narratives can represent past motives without simply projecting present assumptions.

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