Kerr, Sara J.
(2017)
When Computer Science Met Austen and Edgeworth.
NPPSH Reflections, 1.
pp. 38-52.
ISSN 2565-6031
Abstract
Jesse Rosenthal states in the introduction to the 2017 special issue of
Genre
: ‘data is a big deal
right now. We
cannot talk about data and the novel without recognizing the particular
importance that the question of data has in literary studies’ (2017, p. 4). This paper is positioned
at the intersection of Literary Studies and Computer Science. It explores the appli
cation of
computer based analysis to novels from the long eighteenth century (an historical period
between approximately 1640 to 1830) and, specifically, examines the insights that are gained
by using these tools to compare novels by Jane Austen and Maria
Edgeworth. It also considers
the challenges these methods may present for Humanities scholars, and the benefits of
combining computational approaches with close reading.
The title of this paper comes from the film ‘When Harry Met Sally...’ (1989). The li
ne at the
heart of the film proposes that ‘men and women can’t be friends because the sex part always
gets in the way’, before ultimately demonstrating that, for Harry and Sally, combining sex with
friendship leads to a positive relationship. This analogy
echoes some of the arguments against
the use of digital analysis in literary studies, or, to rephrase it ‘literary studies and computer
science can’t be friends because the tech part always gets in the way’, but it also suggests a
possible way forward.
| Item Type: |
Article
|
| Keywords: |
digital humanities; novels; vector space models; semantic networks; computer science; literature; literary analysis; nineteenth century; NPPSH; |
| Academic Unit: |
Faculty of Arts,Celtic Studies and Philosophy > Research Institutes > An Foras Feasa |
| Item ID: |
8298 |
| Depositing User: |
NPPSH Editor
|
| Date Deposited: |
12 Jun 2017 08:21 |
| Journal or Publication Title: |
NPPSH Reflections |
| Publisher: |
Maynooth Academic Publishing |
| Refereed: |
Yes |
| URI: |
|
| Use Licence: |
This item is available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike Licence (CC BY-NC-SA). Details of this licence are available
here |
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