Description
Book SynopsisNow in its second edition, Reading Primary Sources explores the varied traditions in source criticism and, through specific examples, illustrates how primary sources can be read and used in historical research.
Part I of this two-part volume begins by establishing the reader's understanding of source criticism with an overview of both traditional and new methodological approaches to the use of primary documents. Taking into account the huge expansion in the range of primary sources used by historians, Part II includes chapters on surveillance reports, testimony and court files, in addition to more traditional genres such as letters, memoranda, diaries, novels, newspapers, political speeches and autobiography. For the new edition, each chapter now includes a checklist that suggests an easy-to-follow sequence of steps for interpreting a specific source genre, enabling students to understand how the sources should be read, what they have to offer, and
Table of Contents
Part 1: Reading primary sources: contexts and approaches 1. Understanding history: hermeneutics and source-criticism in historical scholarship 2. Reading tests after the linguistic turn: approaches from literary studies and their implications Part 2: Varieties of primary sources and their interpretation 3. Letters 4. Surveillance reports 5. Court files 6. Social surveys 7. Memoranda 8. Diaries 9. Novels 10. Autobiography 11. Newspapers 12. Speeches 13. Testimony
