Language in Place: A Computational Analysis of Dickens’ American Notes

Abstract

Digital analyses of literary texts can reveal hidden elements that contribute to meaning in subtle ways. Text mining and computational methods of analysis applied to Charles Dickens’ travel book American Notes uncover initial results showing significant structural and stylistic elements that warrant further investigation. This essay is a preliminary study that examines the following research questions: What stylistic differences can computational analysis reveal 1) between the way different regions in American Notes are portrayed within the book, and 2) between American Notes and Dickens’ other nonfiction; and how do these differences illuminate Dickens’ attitudes toward America? This essay argues that corpus stylistics analysis is a beneficial approach for answering these questions and for generating new perspectives on literary texts. Methodology and initial findings are outlined in order to suggest directions for future corpus stylistics analyses of American Notes and Dickens’ other nonfiction.