The Historian and 'The Gibbon'
The Historian and 'The Gibbon' is a collection of essays by Virginia Woolf, published in 1925. The essays explore the relationship between history and literature, and the ways in which the two disciplines can inform and enrich each other. Woolf examines the works of Edward Gibbon, the 18th-century historian, and his influence on the development of the novel. She also looks at the works of other historians, such as Thomas Babington Macaulay and Thomas Carlyle, and their impact on literature. Woolf argues that history and literature are intertwined, and that each can benefit from the other. She also examines the role of the historian in society, and the importance of historical accuracy. The essays in this collection are a testament to Woolf's commitment to exploring the connections between history and literature.
By Virginia Woolf · First published 1937 · Genre: Modernist Literature, Fiction, Short Story · 3,402 words
First lines
"Yet, upon the whole, the HISTORY OF THE DECLINE AND FALL seems to have struck root, both at home and abroad, and may, perhaps, a hundred years hence still continue to be abused." So Gibbon wrote in the calm confidence of immortality; and let us confirm him in his own opinion of his book by showing, in the first place, that it has one quality of permanence--it still excites abuse. Few people can read the whole of the DECLINE AND FALL without admitting that some chapters have glided away without leaving a trace; that many pages are no more than a concussion of sonorous sounds; and that innumerable figures have passed across the stage without printing even their names upon our memories. We seem, for hours on end, mounted on a celestial rocking-horse which, as it gently sways up and down, remains rooted to a single spot. In the soporific idleness thus induced we recall with regret the vivid partisanship of Macaulay, the fitful and violent poetry of Carlyle. We suspect that the vast fame with which the great historian is surrounded is one of those vague diffusions of acquiescence which gather when people are too busy, too lazy or too timid to see things for themselves. And to justify this suspicion it is easy to gather pomposities of diction--the Church has become "the sacred edifice"; and sentences so stereotyped that they chime like bells--"destroyed the confidence" must be followed by "and excited the resentment"; while characters are daubed in with single epithets like "the vicious" or "the virtuous, " and are so crudely jointed that they seem capable only of the extreme antics of puppets dangling from a string. It is easy, in short, to suppose that Gibbon owed some part of his fame to the gratitude of journalists on whom he bestowed the gift of a style singularly open to imitation and well adapted to invest little ideas with large bodies. And then we turn to the book again, and to our amazement we find that the rocking-horse has left the ground; we are mounted on a winged steed; we are sweeping in wide circles through the air and below us Europe unfolds; the ages change and pass; a miracle has taken place.
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The Historian and 'The Gibbon' is listed on Textopian as a short story by Virginia Woolf, dated 1937 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Short story
- Author: Virginia Woolf
- Date: 1937 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Modernist Literature, Fiction, Short Story, Literary Fiction
- Length: 3,402 words
- Structure: 1 section, 99 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Difficult (College Level)
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Discussion starters
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Genres
- Modernist Literature — The Historian and 'The Gibbon' is a short story written by Virginia Woolf, a prominent figure in the modernist literary movement. The story is characterized by its stream-of-consciousness narrative style, which is a hallmark of modernist literature.
- Fiction — The Historian and 'The Gibbon' is a work of fiction, as it is a story that is not based on real events or people.
- Short Story — The Historian and 'The Gibbon' is a short story, as it is a narrative work that is shorter than a novel and typically focuses on a single incident or theme.
- Literary Fiction — The Historian and 'The Gibbon' is a work of literary fiction, as it is a story that is written with an emphasis on style and character development, rather than plot or action.
Tags
air · body · book · carlyle · century · character · companion · composed · decline · essay · fall · figures