Abstract

In this roundtable Hayden White responds to several questions posed by a panel of historians that comprises Giuliana Benvenuti, Girolamo Imbruglia, Mauro Moretti, Marcello Mustè. The questions concentrate on the relationship between discourse and narration, history and fiction. The objective of the discussion was to discuss whether history can be considered a science or a literary genre, and to define the role of the narrative component in the writing of history.