Figural Realism
There is, of course, no such thing as uninterpreted historical narrative; Crossan knows that as well as anyone. But if the sign of interpretative activity is the give-away clue that the history has been invented, how then can there ever be any history at all?
N. T. Wright • Jesus Victory of God V2: Christian Origins And The Question Of God
historiography cannot be a science. It can only be an industry, an art, and a philosophy—an industry by ferreting out the facts, an art by establishing a meaningful order in the chaos of materials, a philosophy by seeking perspective and enlightenment.
Will Durant • The Lessons of History
“Fiction gives life its form.
Robert McKee • Story: Style, Structure, Substance, and the Principles of Screenwriting
In the interest of building a narrative (it's no coincidence that history and story are similar words), you take out everything not relevant, and end up with only a small sliver of the entire state of the world at any given time point. Of course, that sliver may contain some breadth, if you're writing a narrative of something large like "the Americ... See more