The work of Josep Mora i Catá is a synthesis of the new historiographical trends that were circulating in Catalonia as a result of its proximity to other territories such as Valencia and France. Josep Mora i Catá was president of the Academy of Belles Lettres and wrote a work entitled “Observations on the elementary principles of history”, divided into two parts. For the first he proceeded to make a bibliographical criticism and for the second a palaeographical and diplomatic criticism. These were two current trends which he had brought together in his work. In the fragment in question, he deals with the historian’s relationship with the homeland and in this sense, he pointed out two problems related to truth: The first was when the historian’s love for his homeland led him to detach himself from the documents in order to indulge in fables (a direct criticism of the false chronicles that had permeated the writings up to that time). The second problem stemmed from the use of truth in cases where the image of the fatherland or its princes was damaged. The latter was a truth that had bad consequences, so Josep accepted the dissimulation of the truth.

Collection: Texts

Chronology: XVIII

Scope: Secondary Education, Baccalaureate, University

Link: http://rua.ua.es/dspace/handle/10045/4631

Resource type: Historical source

Source: Josep de MORA Y CATA, «Observaciones sobre los principios elementales de la historia», Real Academia de Buenas Letras de la ciudad de Barcelona; origen, progressos y su primera junta general baxo la protección de Su Magestad, con los papeles que en ella se acordaron, tomo I, Francisco Suriá,Barcelona [1756], pp. 105-107 y 214-216.

Language: Spanish

Date: 1756

Owner: Djebril Bouzidi (Modernalia)

Identifier: Josep de MORA Y CATA, «Observaciones sobre los principios elementales de la historia», Real Academia de Buenas Letras de la ciudad de Barcelona; origen, progressos y su primera junta general baxo la protección de Su Magestad, con los papeles que en ella se acordaron, tomo I, Francisco Suriá,Barcelona [1756], pp. 105-107 y 214-216.

Abstract: Fragment of the work by Josep de Mora i Cata in which he deals with the problems arising from the relationship between the historian and his homeland