Metaphorical statements in historical discourse: the problem of their creation and reception

Abstract

The author presents in the article traditional (G. Elton) and constructivist understandings of history (H. White and F. Ankersmit), which view correspondence between historical texts and the past differently. In contrast with the traditional understanding of history, the constructivist understanding of history emphasizes the significance of the perspective of the historian and the formative role of metaphorical statements by forming a picture of the past, and its reception. From the point of view of the author, the presence of perspective is an obstacle for the creation of a unified worldview of the past. The author illustrates this problem in relation to different views of Slovak and Hungarian historians to historical development related to the results of the Trianon Treaty. Key words: Picture of the past, the past, traditional understading of history, constructivist understanding of history, metaphorical statements, point of view, historical narrative.