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Character as a Web of Words: Towards a Network Theory of Narrative

Welcome to the GitHub repository for the research paper "Character as a Web of Words: Towards a Network Theory of Narrative". This repository contains the relevant materials and the published paper.

Overview

This study explores an integration of network science and structuralist narratology to advance the analysis of literary characters, moving beyond the conventional methodology that simplistically categorizes characters as mere nodes within a social network. By drawing upon Seymour Chatman's narrative theory, particularly his view of character as “a paradigm of traits,” I conceptualize characters as networks of words that manifest a constellation of traits. This approach enables a sophisticated examination of character interactions as complex (mis)encounters of words and traits, rather than simple social relationships.

This interdisciplinary method broadens the analytical scope beyond mere social interactions, and enhances our understanding of the multifaceted nature of characters and their dynamics in literature. My paper concludes by suggesting that networked understanding of character as a web of words can pave the way for “a unified theory of plot and style,” a significant breakthrough in literary studies as envisioned by Moretti. Building a comprehensive network theory of narrative, I argue, is a significant work that will refine the digital literary studies and revive the structuralist narrative theories.

You can read the full published paper by downloading the pdf file (Character_as_a_web_of_words_YongsooKim_2024.pdf) in the repository, or here.

Repository Structure

  • data: This folder contains the raw data used in the study.
  • gephi_files: This folder contains the Gephi project files used for network analysis and visualization.
  • graph_images: This folder contains images of the various graphs generated from the network analysis.
  • the pdf of the published paper

Getting Started

To explore the materials provided in this repository, you can start by examining the data folder which contains the datasets used for analysis. The Gephi files can be opened with Gephi software to visualize and interact with the network graphs. The graph images provide a quick view of the results and visualizations discussed in the paper.

Prerequisites

  • Gephi - Network analysis and visualization software.

Usage

  1. Data Analysis: Use the files in the data folder to perform your own analysis or to replicate the study results.
  2. Network Visualization: Open the .gephi files in the gephi_files folder with Gephi software to explore the network visualizations interactively.
  3. Graph Images: Refer to the images in the graph_images folder for quick reference and visual summaries of the network analyses.

License

CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Acknowledgements

Thank you for your interest in this study. If you use any part of this repository for your research or work, please cite the paper:

Yongsoo Kim. "Character as a Web of Words: Towards a Network Theory of Narrative." The Journal of Criticism and Theory vol. 29, no. 2, 2024, pp.125-49. Link to the published paper.

For any inquiries or further information, please contact the author at [vadoropupille@gmail.com].


By examining characters as networks of words and traits, this study offers a new perspective that enriches our understanding of narrative structures and literary analysis. We hope this repository serves as a valuable resource for researchers and enthusiasts in the field of digital humanities and literary studies.

Happy researching!

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