The Wiley Handbook of Genius

1 The Genius in History Historiographic Explorations

Laura C. Ball

The History of the world is but the Biography of great men. (Carlyle, 1841, p. 34)

Geniuses throughout history have fascinated academic and pop-culture authors alike. We consume autobiographies, biographies, films, histories, and academic theories of the outliers, the heroes, the Great Men, the geniuses. They are historical celebrities. We are captivated by them, their lives, and their work, but also their stories provide readers with a source of affiliation and inspiration. Yet, despite the attention given to their seemingly inevitable greatness, these celebratory histories tell us little about why they are considered to be great.

In this chapter, I explore the kinds of geniuses who have captured our attention over time, the ways in which they have been depicted, and the methods used to tell their stories. First, I outline who have been labeled as geniuses, and how these “great men” have been identified. As most historiography of genius flows from Thomas Carlyle's (1841) classic text On Heroes, Hero-Worship and the Heroic in History, his distinction between “heroes” and “geniuses” will be discussed specifically. Particular attention will also be paid to how psychologists entered the dialogue and their contributions to the narrative. Next, I review the different historiographic and psychological methods employed to study the life stories and achievements of identified geniuses. Finally, I question what qualities, ...