Daniil Skorinkin and Luca Giovannini: Computational modelling of literary character

The Department of Digital Humanities and Social Studies would like to invite you to the following talk in our DH Colloquium:

Daniil Skorinkin and Luca Giovannini: »Computational modelling of literary character«

Abstract:

This talk explores computational approaches to the analysis and modelling of literary characters. In particular, it showcases two different lines of enquiry which examine characters at different scale, highlighting the potential of digital methods to offer new insights into character systems.

The first case study presented investigates character properties across more than 4,000 dramatic texts from the multilingual DraCor project (Fischer et al. 2019). This large-scale analysis focuses on network centrality values and other structural features, uncovering trends in character roles and functions. By examining such data across a vast corpus, the study suggests how computational tools can reveal systemic dynamics and character archetypes in dramatic texts.

The second case study is dedicated to Tolstoy's War and Peace and its narrative universe. Network analysis is employed to examine relationships among characters, while stylistic and linguistic analyses evaluate the complexity, readability, and real-world resemblance of character speech. Together, these case studies illustrate how computational modelling can bridge large-scale structural patterns and detailed stylistic nuances, enriching the understanding of literary characters across diverse textual contexts.

Further information and other upcoming talks in the Colloquium can be found here.