Professional Documents
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HISTORY ASANOCEAN
Dipesh Chakrabarty notices that tocraft their own visions ofhistoryand itmight be added that ofliterature aswellSouth Asian
intellectuals borrow European concepts andcategories. Unavoidable
andindispensable assuch borrowings are forhim, they entail both
global andregional effect; theeffect isglobal inthesense that
theexchange ofideas makes them spread worldwide andregional
inthesense that their constant interactions caused one central
anduniversal notion ofhistory tocollapse infavor ofamultitude
ofdispersed historical perspectives (Chakrabarty, 2000: 36).
An attention-grabbing case ofhistory view that might be
juxtaposed with Chakrabartys claims isAmitav Ghoshs idea
ofriver-like history according towhich literary andhistorical
writings are unlike. Although theoretically viable when viewed
fromChakrabartys global perspectiveit appears tobe acontemporary version ofHegels idea ofriver-like history (Hegel,
1892: 2)the concept does notseem toacknowledge theachievements ofpost-positivist historiography andpromotes thenotion
ofuniversal history. Thepurpose ofthis study, however, isneither toexplore theincompatibility ofChakrabarty andGhoshs
35
Alicja Bemben
University ofSilesia
in Katowice
Poland
Oceans Apart:
In Search of New Wor(l)ds
Alicja Bemben
University of Silesia
in Katowice
Poland
Oceans Apart:
In Search of New Wor(l)ds
Alicja Bemben
University of Silesia
in Katowice
Poland
Oceans Apart:
In Search of New Wor(l)ds
Alicja Bemben
University of Silesia
in Katowice
Poland
Oceans Apart:
In Search of New Wor(l)ds
43
inanAristotelian, andthus literary, fashion. Asthepoint ofdeparture, he takes thereal andmakes the(historical) text its mimetic
record. Although thedivision concerns thefield ofhistorical studies,
itfinds its correspondence inthe-real-and-the-text pair asit exists
inthefield ofliterary studies. Acknowledging this parallel seems
tojustify theargument that, what links history andliterature
atthemost basic level isthat intheir Romantic versions, they
are understood asnarratives drawing fromreality. Furthermore,
they are both designed torecognize andtry toovercome thegap
between the(past) reality andits (re)construction for, asLionel
Gossman notices, thefractions ofthereal were perceived assymbols
that could be understood only when located inanarrative order.
Theconcept underlying aliterary aswell asahistorical product
ofthis process was that they both were meant tobe realizations
ofaprophetic, truth-giving andrevolutionary act ofrestoring
theold world atwhich thewriter andthehistorian aimed.
This seemed possible forthenineteenth-century sages asthey,
ontheone hand, were convinced they had thebest possible perspective ontheever-unveiling scroll ofthepast and, ontheother,
thought ofthemselves asequipped with thedivine powers tobuild
thebridge between thepast andthepresent. Ascribing tooneself therole ofthedecipherer andinterpreter ofthepast aswell
ascrediting oneself with divine traits put theRomantic historian
abreast theRomantic poet. Intheend, itwas also theRomantic
poet who experienced thecollapse oftheeighteenth-century
concepts andideals, who wanted tofind appeasement indescribing thereal andconsidered himself theinterpreter, thegod-like
prophet andthepriest oftruth.
Similarities intheperformed function also led toconvergences
inthehistorians andpoets practice ofwriting. Firstly, thereliance
onametaphysical understanding oftheworld entailed forboth
ofthem comprehending reality bymeans ofimagination. Itwas
imagination that provided a true insight into thenature of[reality]
where both individual phenomena andthevital relations among
them could be grasped intheir immediacy andpresence . Secondly,
asLionel Gossman notices, both modes ofwriting relied upon
theorganicist model ofexplanation. Whether inliterature orhistoriography, [i]ndividual facts were revealed asrational andintelligible
Alicja Bemben
University of Silesia
in Katowice
Poland
Oceans Apart:
In Search of New Wor(l)ds
Alicja Bemben
University of Silesia
in Katowice
Poland
Oceans Apart:
In Search of New Wor(l)ds
47
Alicja Bemben
University of Silesia
in Katowice
Poland
Oceans Apart:
In Search of New Wor(l)ds
48
Works Cited
Alicja Bemben
University of Silesia
in Katowice
Poland
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Oceans Apart:
In Search of New Wor(l)ds
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