history or story?

Question

In the title of a book I read "Paris, a town, a European history".
Shouldn't it be .... "a European story"??? Is the word History countable as well and can it be used with the article A, as a consequence? Can it be used instead of STORY when one recounts the facts of past events, in this case about Paris? I thought there was a mistake and it should have been said "Paris, a town, a European Story"? Am I right or totally ignorant of English usage? Thanks.

Answer 1

If the book was written originally in French and translated, then the poor translator would have had the headache of opting for either "history" or "story" from the French word "histoire", which has both meanings. If the book is a personalised story about Paris, then this would be the word to go for. If it is a more formal work, then history would probably be more appropriate. But it is not possible to say that one is right and the other wrong. In fiction, we have works such as Charles Dickens's "A History of Edwin Drood", which is a complete work of fiction. People write autobiographical works which are supposed to be factually accurate entitled "the Story of my Life". Whether one uses one word or the other depends very much on approach.

Answer 2

If the book related the European involvement with the History of Paris (as against a purely Parisian history) it would be correct. If the book related fiction, lacking in historical accuracy or content, then it is simply a "story". As with ` A Tale of Two Cities`, or `The Hunchback of Notre Dame`, both tell stories, but are not truly "history".

Answer 3

Dear Gardengate, your english is better than my italian!!!
I remember a nice song beginnings of the 80's, NEVERENDING STORY, the singer was Limahl. Now Limahl should be a worker in a beer's factory....
You can try to sing this song using history word, there are no difference.
Ciao from Italy and apologize but I speak english like an emigrant....
Andyyy
neverending historyyyyy ahha ahhaa ahhhaaaa.......

Answer 4

Yes "a history" is fine.
A recounting of past events, especially over a long period, is more likely to be called "a history" than "a story". A story, generally speaking, would refer to one specific narrative.

Answer 5

"History" is the term you should use to "recount the facts of past events" - it is specific. "Story" is a broad term, and although a history can be a type of story; "Story" is often used for fiction, tales, fairy tales, fables, children's books, personal memoirs, and so on...

Answer 6

from it's title, it means history.