History as Narrative
A narrative consists of a series of events between each of which is a reasonable connection of causality. One event is said to occur, then the next, each occurrence flowing from the previous in a fashion that could be legitimate in the context of usual human experience. If I told you that this morning I stubbed my toe, hopped on one foot, and fell down the stairs, that would be a reasonable narrative. On the other hand, if I said that this morning I stubbed my toe, my hair caught on fire, and I took my dog for a walk, that would not be a narrative but a list. There is no implied cause effect relation between the events. Note that causality is implied rather than inherent in the words themselves. Unlike the concepts of a dog or pain or falling, causality is never contained in language, but exists outside it. Even when we say one event causes the next we do not talk about causality itself. That this morning stubbing my toe caused me to fall down the stairs only means that there is a...