Narrativist Philosophy of Historiography, Literary Theory and the “More-than-Human History”

Abstract

The paper engages with recent debates surrounding the Anthropocene within the field of professional history. It aims to offer an approach distinct from the history of concepts by focusing on narrative studies and addressing debates on the relationship between history and fiction, with an emphasis on temporality. The starting point is the observation that the so-called paradigm shift in the humanities has paid scant attention to narrativist debates and the legacy of the linguistic turn. Indeed, the article seeks to foster discussion of this legacy and to present a bibliography ranging from literary theory to a historically grounded approach centered on temporality. First, the article explores how the legacy of the linguistic turn has been remembered or forgotten in the context of emerging debates on "more-than-human history" and paradigm shifts in the humanities. It then proposes that historians should be attentive to the potential of incorporating literary theory into Anthropocene debates. Specifically, the discussion focuses on studies that utilize the concept of the *chronotope* to examine temporality, while proposing a distinction in its application to Anthropocene temporality – diverging from the usage established by Mary Louise Pratt. From this basis, I suggest that studying the chronotope offers a better understanding of two themes: (1) multiscalar time and (2) the expansion of debates regarding historical realism. I also believe that a clearer grasp of these themes enables a more evocative approach to what has been termed "the multiple possibilities of the future that exist in the present and the past" – a theme notably discussed by Azoulay and Kellner. The article deliberately avoids dwelling on specific examples of critical analysis regarding novels or short stories, as I believe this approach clarifies the contribution to the historian's craft.