The ars historica from Cicero to Bodin: Ancient and Renaissance Theories of How to Write History - Detailseite

What is the proper way to write history? Is it an art, a science? Does it have rules? And what is history anyway? These questions were systematically raised for the first time, and gained monumental importance, in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. That is when Renaissance humanists, in their attempt to imitate the great works of ancient Roman history written by Livy, Sallust, and others, sought to reconstruct an ars historica that they were convinced existed in antiquity (but that, ironically, probably did not). In this course we shall follow this development closely, beginning with the few ancient texts that treat questions of historical method (Cicero, Lucian) and then proceeding to the works from the Renaissance that transformed historiography into a coherent discipline with a teachable technique. Secondarily we will consider a few examples of the writing of history in practice, including two of the most important and enduring works of the age: Leonardo Bruni’s History of the Florentine People and Francesco Guicciardini’s History of Italy. In so doing, we shall excavate the origins of modern historiography while at the same time highlighting the important differences between pre-modern and modern notions of history. Focus will be on close reading of texts and discussion. The language of instruction and participation will be English. Sources will be read in English translation, but a working knowledge of Latin would be helpful.