2. What would Jenkins say about Cronon's essay. How would Cronon respond?
In Cronon's words, his essay is "my story about stories." He argues that historians must primarily be storytellers whose narratives constitute attempts to make sense of the vast reservoir of information that is available to them. "Although narrative may not be intrinsic to events in the physical universe, it is fundamental to the way we humans organize our experience." (1368) He readily acknowledges that historians often have hidden agendas that powerfully influence their narratives. Being an environmental historian, he cites as an example two historians whose histories of the Dust Bowl result in two opposing interpretations of that period of American history. He argues that both interpretations are valid because they represent genuine attempts at providing meaning to the jumble of "facts" that exist about any period of history.
Unlike Cronon, Jenkins wholeheartedly endorses "postmodernism" arguing that it is neither a position nor an ideology but is "precisely our condition"; it is simply the way things are. He argues that histories in the "upper case," which seek to present identifiable interpretations of history, which might include the above-mentioned Dust Bowl histories, are "fantasies" which nobody believes any more. He argues further that "lower case" histories, which purport to have no interpretational axe to grind, are no more legitimate than the upper case variety because the "past" is an entirely elusive concept. He does not reject Cronon's notion of historian as storyteller but contends simply that there are a limitless number of stories to tell "from various view points, with umpteen voices, emplotments and types of synthesis." (20) It is up to the consumers of history to decide for themselves which stories have merit.
Therefore, it would appear that the difference between Cronon and Jenkins is not as stark as might be imagined. Cronon does not denounce postmodernism but says that he is "only willing to follow the postmodernists so far." (1372) He rejects the notion that history is "infinitely malleable" and reiterates his position that the narrative is still "our best and most compelling tool for searching out meaning in a conflicted and contradictory world." (1374) It would seem that the essential disparity between them is that Cronon seeks to to provide some coherence to history while Jenkins posits that coherence is a myth.