Bode 2012

Bode, Katherine. Reading by Numbers: Recalibrating the Literary Field. Anthem Press, 2012.

1. Literary Studies in the Digital Age

summary of Moretti's positions

"Moretti's work provides an important statement of the contribution quantitative methods can make to literary history: namely, their potential to represent historical trends and, in so doing, enable a form of analysis that moves beyond the handful of exceptional texts and authors that are repeatedly discussed in literary history. However, and although he is often perceived as such, Moretti is not the only scholar to make these arguments: both his challenge to established practices in literary history and his rationale for quantitative analyses align closely with ideas in book history." (9)

Darnton: quantitative analysis in book history is like early map of the new world, not very granular; Moretti: it is like early maps of Africa, where quantitative analysis can bring more granular info (21)

"Understanding data representation as a process of research rather than an end-product signifi es a quantitative approach that resonates with the humanities process of interpretation: an approach that is explicitly contingent and speculative while remaining critical and committed to scholarly rigour." (24)