Distant Reading
Distant Reading is a method of literary analysis that uses computational tools to study large collections of texts, looking for patterns that are invisible when reading individual works.
Definition
Coined by literary scholar Franco Moretti, distant reading is the opposite of "close reading." Instead of carefully analyzing a single text, you analyze thousands of texts simultaneously using algorithms.
Example
Instead of asking "What does this novel mean?" you might ask:
- "How did the average sentence length in novels change between 1800 and 1900?"
- "What are the most common character types in Victorian fiction?"
- "How do genres evolve over time?"
Key Techniques
- Word frequency analysis — Counting how often words appear
- Topic modeling — Discovering hidden themes in large document collections
- Network analysis — Mapping relationships between characters, authors, or concepts
Contrast with Close Reading
| Close Reading | Distant Reading |
|---|---|
| One or few texts | Thousands of texts |
| Human interpretation | Computational analysis |
| Depth | Breadth |
| Meaning | Patterns |