Telling It Like It Wasn{u2019}t : The Counterfactual Imagination in History and Fiction

Inventing counterfactual histories is a common pastime of modern day historians, both amateur and professional. We speculate about an America ruled by Jefferson Davis, a Europe that never threw off Hitler, or a second term for JFK. These narratives are often written off as politically inspired fantasy or as pop culture fodder, but in __Telling It Like It Wasn’t__, Catherine Gallagher takes the history of counterfactual history seriously, pinning it down as an object of dispassionate study. She doesn’t take a moral or normative stand on the practice, but focuses her attention on how it works and to what ends—a quest that takes readers on a fascinating tour of literary and historical criticism. Gallagher locates the origins of contemporary counterfactual history in eighteenth-century Europe, where the idea of other possible historical worlds first took hold in philosophical disputes about Providence before being repurposed by military theorists as a tool for improving the art of war. In the next century, counterfactualism became a legal device for deciding liability, and lengthy alternate-history fictions appeared, illustrating struggles for historical justice. These early motivations—for philosophical understanding, military improvement, and historical justice—are still evident today in our fondness for counterfactual tales. Alternate histories of the Civil War and WWII abound, but here, Gallagher shows how the counterfactual habit of replaying the recent past often shapes our understanding ofthe actual events themselves. The counterfactual mode lets us continue to envision our future by reconsidering the range of previous alternatives. Throughout this engaging and eye-opening book, Gallagher encourages readers to ask important questions about our obsession with counterfactual history and the roots of our tendency to ask “What if...?” Inventing counterfactual histories is a common pastime of modern day historians, both amateur and professional. We speculate about an America ruled by Jefferson Davis, a Europe that never threw off Hitler, or a second term for JFK. These narratives are often written off as politically inspired fantasy or as pop culture fodder, but in Telling It Like It Wasn’t, Catherine Gallagher takes the history of counterfactual history seriously, pinning it down as an object of dispassionate study. She doesn’t take a moral or normative stand on the practice, but focuses her attention on how it works and to what ends—a quest that takes readers on a fascinating tour of literary and historical criticism.

Gallagher locates the origins of contemporary counterfactual history in eighteenth-century Europe, where the idea of other possible historical worlds first took hold in philosophical disputes about Providence before being repurposed by military theorists as a tool for improving the art of war. In the next century, counterfactualism became a legal device for deciding liability, and lengthy alternate-history fictions appeared, illustrating struggles for historical justice. These early motivations—for philosophical understanding, military improvement, and historical justice—are still evident today in our fondness for counterfactual tales. Alternate histories of the Civil War and WWII abound, but here, Gallagher shows how the counterfactual habit of replaying the recent past often shapes our understanding of the actual events themselves. The counterfactual mode lets us continue to envision our future by reconsidering the range of previous alternatives. Throughout this engaging and eye-opening book, Gallagher encourages readers to ask important questions about our obsession with counterfactual history and the roots of our tendency to ask “What if...?” Inventing counterfactual histories is a common pastime of modern day historians, both amateur and professional. We speculate about an America ruled by Jefferson Davis, a Europe that never threw off Hitler, or a second term for JFK. These narratives are often written off as politically inspired fantasy or as pop culture fodder, but in Telling It Like It Wasn't , Catherine Gallagher takes the history of counterfactual history seriously, pinning it down as an object of dispassionate study. She doesn't take a moral or normative stand on the practice, but focuses her attention on how it works and to what ends—a quest that takes readers on a fascinating tour of literary and historical criticism. Gallagher locates the origins of contemporary counterfactual history in eighteenth-century Europe, where the idea of other possible historical worlds first took hold in philosophical disputes about Providence before being repurposed by military theorists as a tool for improving the art of war. In the next century, counterfactualism became a legal device for deciding liability, and lengthy alternate-history fictions appeared, illustrating struggles for historical justice. These early motivations—for philosophical understanding, military improvement, and historical justice—are still evident today in our fondness for counterfactual tales. Alternate histories of the Civil War and WWII abound, but here, Gallagher shows how the counterfactual habit of replaying the recent past often shapes our understanding of the actual events themselves. The counterfactual mode lets us continue to envision our future by reconsidering the range of previous alternatives. Throughout this engaging and eye-opening book, Gallagher encourages readers to ask important questions about our obsession with counterfactual history and the roots of our tendency to ask "What if...?" Inventing counterfactual histories is a common pastime of modern day historians, both amateur and professional. We speculate about an America ruled by Jefferson Davis, a Europe that never threw off Hitler, or a second term for JFK. These narratives are often written off as politically inspired fantasy or as pop culture fodder, but in Telling It Like It Wasn't, Catherine Gallagher takes the history of counterfactual history seriously, pinning it down as an object of dispassionate study. She doesn't take a moral or normative stand on the practice, but focuses her attention on how it works and to what ends--a quest that takes readers on a fascinating tour of literary and historical criticism. Gallagher locates the origins of contemporary counterfactual history in eighteenth-century Europe, where the idea of other possible historical worlds first took hold in philosophical disputes about Providence before being repurposed by military theorists as a tool for improving the art of war. In the next century, counterfactualism became a legal device for deciding liability, and lengthy alternate-history fictions appeared, illustrating struggles for historical justice. These early motivations--for philosophical understanding, military improvement, and historical justice--are still evident today in our fondness for counterfactual tales featuring the Civil War and Nazis. Alternate histories of the Civil War and WWII abound, but here, Gallagher shows how the counterfactual habit of replaying the recent past often shaped the actual events themselves. The counterfactual mode lets us continue to envision our future by reconsidering the range of previous alternatives Historical “what-if” scenarios abound in our current political, academic, legal, cultural, and literary discourses. This book reveals the origins and development of the counterfactual mode of historical thought, exploring its reasoning, uses, and the analytical and narrative forms it takes. The book traces the actual history of counterfactual history from its eighteenth-century roots in religious debates, moral philosophy, and military sciences to its current applications in fields like economic history and reparative justice. And it explores the historical-counterfactual mode in narrative fictions, from nineteenth-century French utopias and dystopias to contemporary science fiction and alternate-history novels. The majority of the book concentrates on writings that cluster around two long-established counterfactual-historical loci: 1) the American Civil War and its aftermath; and 2) the summer of 1940 and the Battle of Britain, when Great Britain was Nazi Germany’s sole undefeated opponent. The two case studies demonstrate how Americans and Britons have used historical counterfactual speculations and narratives to gain perspective on their current predicaments as well as to structure and revise their national characters Inventing Counterfactual Histories Is A Common Pastime Of Modern-day Historians, Both Amateur And Professional. We Speculate About An America Ruled By Jefferson Davis, A Europe That Never Threw Off Hitler, Or A Second Term For Jfk. These Narratives Are Often Written Off As Politically Inspired Fantasy Or A Pop Culture Fodder, But In Telling It Like It Wasn't, Catherine Gallagher Takes The History Of Counterfactual History Seriously, Pinning It Down An An Object Of Dispassionate Study. She Doesn't Take A Moral Or Normative Stand On The Practice But Focuses Her Attention On How It Works And To What Ends- A Quest That Takes Readers On A Fascinating Tour Of Literary And Historical Criticism. -- Publisher Description. Introduction -- The History Of Counterfactual History From Leibniz To Clausewitz -- Nineteenth-century Alternate-history Narratives -- How The Usa Lost The Civil War -- Historical Activism And The Alternate-america Novels -- Nazi Britain: The Invasion And Occupation That Weren't -- The Fictions Of Nazi Britain. Catherine Gallagher. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Inventing counterfactual histories is a common pastime of modern-day historians, both amateur and professional. We speculate about an America ruled by Jefferson Davis, a Europe that never threw off Hitler, or a second term for JFK. These narratives are often written off as politically inspired fantasy or a pop culture fodder, but in Telling it Like it Wasn't, Catherine Gallagher takes the history of counterfactual history seriously, pinning it down an an object of dispassionate study. She doesn't take a moral or normative stand on the practice but focuses her attention on how it works and to what ends- a quest that takes readers on a fascinating tour of literary and historical criticism. -- From Publisher description