Abstract

The author takes into account Danto's and Ankersmit's versions of narrativism. The former develops a theory of historical meaning «as propositional construction», in the frame of a strumentalistic approach to knowledge. The letter, following Mink and White, develops a theory of historical meaning «as textual construction», in the frame of an aesthetic conception of representation. Through an analytical reconstruction of their intellectual itineraries, the author discusses the consistence of their answers to the «objectivity question» and to the problem of relativism. In the conclusion the author considers the concept of a persistent asymmetry between present and past and proposes an appraisal of the theoretical problems disclosed in those narrativistic perspectives.