Quantitative Literary Analysis of the Works of Aphra Behn: Words of Passion

(Hardback)

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Description

This book explores the works of Aphra Behn (16401689) synchronically through word counts and statistical measures.

It analyses, by genre, poetry, drama, and prose, examining the quantification of Behns literary style. The conclusion applies thematic questions to the full corpus for an innovative and comprehensive assessment of Behns writing.

Aphra Behn (16401689), prolific and popular playwright, poet, novelist, and translator, has a fascinating and extensive corpus of literature that plays a key role in literary history. This book offers an analysis of all of Behns literary output. It examines the authors use of words in terms of frequencies and distributions and stacks the oeuvre in order to read Behns word usage synchronically. Organised into three main chapters addressing her chief genres of writing (poetry, plays, and prose) this exploratory project analyzes the texts through statistical queries and identifies Behns unique style across genres and among her peers. It identifies Behns keywords as compared to literary works of the period to provide an index of characteristic themes and qualities, such as 'oh', 'young', 'lover', 'love', 'marry', 'charming', 'heart', 'gay', 'soft'. Each of these words opens a window on her corpus as a whole. A unique case study of a significant author using new literary methodologies, this book provides an appealing snapshot of Behns whole career informed by deep knowledge of the Restoration era and developments in digital humanities and cultural analytics.

Author Bio

Laura L. Runge is a professor of English at the University of South Florida. She specializes in womens writing of the long eighteenth century, digital humanities, and book history.