Quotes from Renee Romano

Hayden] white argues instead for histories that avoid narrative closure and that highlight the contingency of the past ... He points especially to chronicle - a form marked by a lack of closure - as a useful alternative to the narrative. In a chronicle, historians offer an interpretation of the past but simply end the account when they reach the present.

At a recognizable point in the research process, looking at more sources does not provide more insight. When we have consulted enough material to identify patterns and developments, then … we have the mastery necessary to offer an interpretation of the past