Rhetoric and Aesthetics of History
Rhetoric and Aesthetics of History
Rhetoric and Aesthetics of History
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JORN RUSEN
"Let's do the time warp again!"-Rocky HorrorPictureShow
I. THE QUESTION
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JORN ROSEN
dagegenvollkommen
16. Idem. ("DieKunstberuhtauf sichselber:ihrDaseinbeweistihreGultigkeit,
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Fromrecenttheoryof historywe can learnthat the conceptof rhetoric,underdurchgearbeitet sein bis zu ihrem Begriff und uber ihr Eigenstes klar mud die Wissenschaft sein."
[Dotterweich and Fuchs, eds., 73])
zumBegranUntersuchungen
Geschichtstheoretische
17. Cf. JoMn
Rusen,AsthetikundGeschichte:
von Kunst,Geselischaftund Wissenschaft(Stuttgart,1976),14ff.
dungszusammenhang
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JORN ROSEN
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JORN ROSEN
genetic type of historical orientation in time: "We are forced irresistibly to the
conviction that all the purposes and efforts of humanity are subjected to the silent and often imperceptible, but invincible and ceaseless march of events." 22
Ranke presents this "march of events" as an historical process, leading to the
political constellation of modern states in Europe, which Ranke thought to be
predominant in his time. In the context of our quotation, Ranke expresses this
leading genetic perspective of modern history as "a spirit of community in the
modern world which has always been regarded as the basis of its entire development, whether in religion, politics, manners, social life, or literature."23
Ranke shapes this perspective politically mainly by presenting interactions of
leading personalities, thus underlining the fundamental importance and competence of governments for the essential decisions without relating too much to
the governed people and their normal life. Ranke's political ideas and his standpoint in political life are well known,24as well as their manifestation in his historiography. But it is less known how he transforms them into rhetorical modes and
strategies of history writing.
We can describe these modes and strategies by referringto perspectives within
which acts of governments appear, and to attributes which characterizepolitical
actions and actors. Such a perspective often implies a view from above, favoring
state-politics as the main force of historical development, and such attributes
can be found in Ranke's characterizationof mass-movements- like the peasant's
war during the Reformation in Germany-as driven by blind naturalforces rather
than by reflected and culturally legitimized intentions.25
All these rhetorical strategies are at work in Ranke's historiography, as well
as in historiography in general. So what about the anti-rhetorical turn of historiography towards its modern, scientific form? Recognizing the unbroken force
of rhetoric in historiography, one could easily come to the opinion that all the
anti-rhetorical sayings of research-based historiography are nothing more than
rhetoric itself. It seems simply to hide the rhetorical character of historiography
in order to take part in the cultural prestigeof science and to legitimate the professional skill of historians, now cultivating an image of academic seriousness. This
postmodern view of modernity which historiography has gained by historical
studies and its scientific methods is seductive. It seriously takes into consideration the literary character of historiography and lifts the veil of ignorance which
22. Iggers and Moltke, eds., 185 ("Es ist nicht anders, als daB alles menschliche Tun und Treiben
dem leisen und der Bemerkung oft entzogenen, aber gewaltigen und unaufhaltsamen Gange der
Dinge unterworfen ist.") (Ranke, Die romischen Pdpste in den letzten vier Jahrhunderten [Samtliche
Werke, vol. 37] [Leipzig, 1874], 23.)
23. Ranke, Die romischen Pdpste, 185 ("Es gibt eine Gemeinschaftlichkeit der modernen Welt,
welche immer als eine Hauptgrundlage der gesamten Ausbildung derselben in Staat und Kirche,Sitte,
Leben und Literatur betrachtet worden ist.")
24. Cf. Helmut Berding, "Leopold von Ranke,"in Deutsche Historiker, ed. Hans-Ulrich Wehler
(Gottingen, 1971), 1, 7-24.
25. Ranke'swords:"Unaufh6rlichvernimmtman dies dumpfe Brauseneines unbandigenElementes
in dem Innern des Bodens, auf dem man steht." Deutsche Geschichte im Zeitalter der Reformation
(Samtliche Werke, vol. 1) (Leipzig, 1867), 1, 143.
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What is the difference between rhetoric and aesthetics?26By its rhetoric historiography realizes its practical function of orienting the practical life of its audience in the course of time. It transforms the necessity of action into the linguistic forms of its temporal orientation by historical memory. By doing so it
follows the logic of practical needs in human world-interpretation and selfunderstanding. Aesthetics introduces the element of freedom into this constraint
of practical needs shaping historiography;it unburdens action-leading historical
memories from the dominance of practical interests and opens up a space for
free self-reflection in the temporal orientation of human activity. It is the attractiveness of freely dealing with historical knowledge while using it rhetorically
in the cultural struggle for life.
We are aware of this appearance of freedom and acknowledge it when we appreciateand enjoy Ranke'shistoriographyas very well written, or of a high literary
standard, without accepting its standpoint in social and political life. Historiography has this aesthetical quality in common with literature such as poetry. So
it seems to be a quality which has nothing to do with the anti-rhetorical turn
which Ranke and all academic historians are so eager to emphasize.
I think that this is not true. For me the aesthetic appeal of the classical historiography of the nineteenth century is more than just a consequence of the personal abilities of historians; it is a reflection of an inner rationalization of historiography by historical studies. It is the gleam of reason in the artistic or poetic
dimension of historiography. For us the linguistic articulation of scholarly skills
in historiography appears in footnotes.27The more footnotes, the deeper the academic concern. Ranke's works do not have many footnotes. Their academic
or scientific concern is much more internalized. It becomes visible in the way
the claim for objectivity founded in historical research is a principle of shaping
or linguistic presentation of historical knowledge.
It is often said that Ranke indicated historical objectivity by avoiding speaking
of himself in his historiography. That he wanted to "extinguish my self and only
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of eventsin the past, and combinesthis course with the actual changeof the
humanworld, happeningin presentactions and sufferings.
For Ranke,therefore,rhetoricis replacedby an idealisticphilosophyof history.31This philosophylets historiansfind by researchan underlyingstructure
of temporalchangeshapedby the mentalforcesof humanlife, and this underlying structurecomprisesthe actualoccurrencesof present-daylife. In this way
historicalknowledgeof whatreallyhappenedin the pastexpresseswhatis really
happeningtoday.Pastandpresentarecombinedbythe actualityof mentalforces
("ideas"),which place them into an intelligibleorderof time. The knowledge
of this orderis objectiveand theoretical(in the sense of intelligible),because
it is empiricallyevident in the events of the past and can be discernedin the
sourcesby research.At the sametime it is subjectiveand practical(in the sense
of orientingpracticallife or actionswith an idea of a temporaldirectionof the
changeto be effectedby practice),becauseit enlightensthe intentionalforces
of present-dayactivity and suffering.
The scientificmode of thinkingin historicalinterpretationis, therefore,alof historicalknowlreadyin principlea sufficientconditionfortheimplementation
edge into the coreof practicallife. Rhetoricis no longernecessaryas a strategy
of such an implementation.
we can unRelatingto this philosophicalgroundof historicisthistoriography,
derstandthe anti-rhetoricalturnof historicalstudiesas a theoretizationof rhetoric, as an input of essentialprinciplesof reasoningconcerningthe temporal
chainof humanaffairsinto lingusticprocedures,by whichhistoricalknowledge
of the past becomesimportantfor practicallife.
It is this reasonwhich gives Ranke'shistoriographyits remarkableaesthetic
character.Rankedid not conceptualizehis basic philosophyof historybecause
in his time philosophyof historywasa formof historicalknowledgecompeting
withhistoricalstudiesandnot compatiblewithits strategiesof empiricalresearch.
So he kept his conceptionof historyin a pretheoreticalstatus,which he called
Ahndung(presentiment),and which can be describedas a preconceptualcontemplation.In this statushis philosophyof historycould work as an aesthetic
elementof historiography.The aestheticlusterof Ranke'shistoriographyis a
gloomof reason.It is reasonwhichmakesit possibleto recognizetemporalwholes
in the underlyingstructureof events in the past, and which at the same time
constituteshistoricalresearchas a rationalprocedure:to find out these wholes
by "collecting,finding,and penetrating"the sourcematerial.
aestheticsand its differencefromrhetoric,I havesaid thataesCharacterizing
theticsbreaksthe constraintsof practicalnecessitiesin historiographyin favor
of a free relationshipof its audienceto historicalexperienceand its role in the
temporalorientationin practicallife. By its aesthetics,historiographylightens
the burdenof historyin the determinationof humanactivity.It introducesinto
the historicalpredetermination
of practicallife.a chancefor autonomy.How is
zur
Zemlin,GeschichtezwischenTheorieund Theoria:Untersuchungen
31. Cf. Michael-Joachim
Rankes(Wirzburg,1988).
Geschichtsphilosophie
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