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Quantitative criticism of literary relationships
Joseph P Dexter1, Theodore Katz2,3,4, Nilesh Tripuraneni5
1Department of Systems Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115; jdexter@fas.harvard.edu pramit.chaudhuri@austin.utexas.edu.
Summary
Quantitative criticism reveals stylistic anomalies in Seneca's plays and maps stylistic evolution in Latin prose. This computational approach enhances literary analysis of intertextuality and authorial style.
Area of Science:
- Digital Humanities
- Computational Linguistics
- Literary Studies
Background:
- Authors frequently reference prior works, creating intertextuality that drives cultural evolution.
- Latin literature exhibits a high degree of intertextuality, posing challenges for traditional analysis.
- Stylometry and machine learning offer new tools for investigating complex literary relationships.
Purpose of the Study:
- To apply quantitative methods to address subjective questions in Latin literary criticism.
- To analyze stylistic features differentiating Seneca's related plays and identify appropriated material in Livy's work.
- To map the stylistic development of Latin prose and identify key inflection points.
Main Methods:
- Employed stylometry and machine learning techniques for quantitative analysis of Latin texts.
- Conducted case studies on the playwright Seneca and the historian Livy.
- Developed a machine-learning approach to identify and analyze citational material.
Main Results:
- Identified subtle stylistic features distinguishing four plays related to Seneca.
- Provided quantitative data supporting interpretations of formal features and sound-meaning interplay.
- Mapped the stylistic topography of Latin prose, highlighting Caesar and Livy as pivotal figures.
Conclusions:
- Quantitative criticism effectively integrates computational and humanistic methods for literary investigation.
- Stylometric analysis can reveal hidden patterns and support literary interpretations.
- The study offers new insights into the stylistic evolution of Latin literature and authorship.