Historians’ books remain literary constructions shaped by their values

Evidence

But I am content to be numbered among the many historians whose books remain literary constructions, shaped by their author’s moral values and intellectual assumptions. — Hilary Mantel, A Memoir of My Former Self- A Life in…, 729

Categorization

• XREF: Aligns with the reader’s own sense of writing as inherently artistic — history as crafted literature rather than transparent data. — connects to: Historical fiction offers a subjective interpretation rather than a photographic replica — Hilary Mantel, A Memoir of My Former Self- A Life in…, 766; Reading broadly until voices of the past become audible defines deep historical craft — Hilary Mantel, A Memoir of My Former Self- A Life in…, 731; Philosophers both reflect their historical milieu and shape future institutions — Bertrand Russell, History of Western Philosophy, 32 (+1 more)
• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — Hilary Mantel, A Memoir of My Former Self- A Life in…, 729

Related

• Historical fiction offers a subjective interpretation rather than a photographic replica (similarity 0.86)
• Historical truth stubbornly resists the storyteller s shaping instincts. (similarity 0.82)
• Intellectual figures are best read as archival praxis, not stable personalities (similarity 0.79)
• Historical admirers often attribute modern liberal values to illiberal figures. (similarity 0.78)

Broader Connections

• Philosophers both reflect their historical milieu and shape future institutions #corroborates (0.45) — Bertrand Russell, History of Western Philosophy, 32