Stylometry is a quantitative investigation into the characteristics of an author’s style. Lann (1995) defines the term as a technique “to grasp the often elusive character of an author's style, or at least part of it, by quantifying some of its features” (1995:271). Matthews and Merriam (1993) agree claiming “Stylometry attempts to capture quantitatively the essence of an individual’s use of language” (1993:203). To put it simply, stylometric analysis is an approach to the investigation of characteristics within literary works through numerical quantitative methods. The relationship between quantitative aspects and literary phenomena is very old. Numerous studies have attempted to explain the stylistic and linguistic properties of authors in terms of quantitative methods and these have been more developed with the availability of computational methods since these methods are accepted by many as more accurate than non-computational ones. Many scholars (Jockers et al., 2008; Altintas et al., 2007; Burrows, 2007; Burrows, 2005; Paton and Can, 2004; Burrows, 2003; Holmes, 1998; Holmes and Forsyth, 1995; Burrows, 1987) agree that the development of computational methods has enhanced the efficiency and accuracy of stylometric studies since computer systems have capacities for analyzing large quantities of data. In turn, Stylometry is often met by objections from many critics. They argue that the computational approach of Stylometry can never give results that can be universally accepted as definitive. (Delcourt, 1992; Smith, 1992; Smith, 1985). Holmes (1998; 1994) argues that there are two main problems about Stylometry that inhibit its acceptance within humanities scholarship. First, there is no consensus as to correct methodology o... ... middle of paper ... ...variate analysis techniques including PCA, factor analysis, discriminant analysis, and cluster analysis have been successfully used (Burrows, 2007; Burrows, 2003; Holmes, 1998) The use of rare words The main assumption behind this testing is that the use of rare words is a good indication for determining the author of a given text. The basic argument is that the use of rare words enables one writer to be distinguished from another. Morton (1986) explains “The once occurring words convey many of the elements thought to show excellence in writing, the range of a writer's interests, the precision of his observation, the imaginative power of his comparisons, they demonstrate his command of rhythm and of alternations” (1986: 1). To put it simply, rare words are quite noticeable which makes it easier and accurate to use them as an indicator for determining authors.
Collected data were subjected to analysis of variance using the SAS (9.1, SAS institute, 2004) statistical software package. Statistical assessments of differences between mean values were performed by the LSD test at P = 0.05.
The stylistic choices an author makes when writing has a huge impact on the mood and atmosphere of the piece created. Take, for example, Cormac Mcarthy’s The Road, and Gregory Robert’s Shantaram. The two incredible novels are in many ways similar, however also very different due to a different writing styles.
Lee, Debbie. Literary Analysis Sample Essay. 18 August 2000. Online. Internet. 29 November 2000. Available http://open.dtcc/cc/nc/us/eng135/sample.html
1. Have you established a writing style? What does it involve? What are the challenges you encounter when writing? What do you anticipate encountering when writing longer research papers?
Author’s style is defined as the distinct literary manner that makes his or her expression of content unique from other authors; Katherine Anne Porter and Emily Dickinson have different styles that contribute to a better understanding of the themes of their work. In “The Jilting of Granny Weatherall” Porter uses the strea...
Marvin, Corey. “Understanding Binary Oppositions in Literature.” Class Handout; English 101. Cerro Coso Community College, 2010. Print
Ender’s Game is a story set in the near future, where an Alien race has attacked earth and is planning to attack again. A boy named Ender Wiggin is recruited to join the military and is sent to Battle School to train to be able to defeat the next alien attack. The author of Ender’s Game uses various styles of writing. In doing so the Author is able to convey a concise yet entertaining story. Some of the writing styles the he uses are that his writing is simple, he uses various types of POV and lastly he uses irony.
Tim Burton is noted for many of his mysterious, suspenseful, and thrilling movies. His childhood has influenced the way he writes, screens and portrays movies to his public audience and fans. Four of these outstanding films are Edward Scissorhands, Frankenweenie, Corpse Bride, and Coraline. In these movies, and many of his others, Tim Burton uses a variety of cinematic techniques to portray and express feelings felt by the characters, set the moods, scenes, and the story. Tim Burton uses lighting, sound, and camera angles in order to create a coherent movie with amusing, suspenseful and tragic scenes.
The Formalistic Approach is one way to analyze literature in order to gain fuller understanding. This approach examines a piece of literature by identifying its individual structures and form. It studies sentence structure in terms of verb placement, the multiple meanings and etymology of words, and the stanza and line breaks. The Formalistic Approach stresses sensitivity to words and their connotations, denotations, and implications they may have to surrounding words and phrases. Location, setting, place, and time are other aspects identified through this approach. Formalistic analysis is referred as "...close reading in practice" (HCAL 73).
Rick Riordan’s writing style can be best described as courageous . His work emphasizes fighting with your inner demons and in this case it would be a young adult with Dyslexia and ADHD, this exemplifies themes of fortitude and persistence. Although he is recognized for being a mythical writer , he is also popular for addressing the difficulties a child could face with Dyslexia and portrays the importance of it. The defiant and friendly tone often shown in his work is typical of his writing style. The subject matter of his books reflects the troubling times of a 14 year old with Dyslexia trying to find his purpose and overcoming obstacles in his way. Ultimately, his literary worked served as an outlet for many American citizens from all
Birk, Newman. “Selection,Slanting,and Charged Language.” Language Awarness:Reading for College Writers.Ed Paul Escholz, Alfred Rosa, and Virginia Clark. 11th ed. Boston:Bedford, 2013. 223-31. Print
Principal Component Analysis (PCA) is a multivariate analysis performed in purpose of reducing the dimensionality of a multivariate data set in order to recognize the shape or pattern of that data set. In other words, PCA is a powerful technique for pattern recognition that attempts to explain the variance of a large set of inter-correlated variables. It indicates the association between variables, thus, reducing the dimensionality of the data set. (Helena et al, 2000; Wunderlin et al, 2001; Singh et al, 2004)
Every writer has a style of writing that is unique to them. This literary element, style is the author’s personal way of describing, events, object and ideas. An author’s style is also comprised of his or her word choice (diction), sentence structure (syntax), sentence arrangement (organization) and figurative language (imagery). All those thing come together to create mood, image and meaning throughout the text. Similarities and differences in style can be established in the writings of nineteenth century British writer, Charles Dickens, and his French comrade, Guy de Maupassant. Both author’s diction is unbelievably comparable, but their imagery is far from being related. One of the many things Dickens is famous for is his extensive and detailed imagery, which can be seen in his classic short story “A Christmas Carol”. Maupassant’s imagery is in fact very concise and nonspecific, which can be seen in his short story “The Necklace. Both stories “A Christmas Carol” and “The Necklace” show various similarities and differences. But in the aspect of style, diction, both authors use formal and sophisticated word choice.
One of the main approaches to the methodology of authorship attribution is the Unitary Invariant Approach which was pioneered by Mendenhall (1887) who sought to distinguis...
NORGAARD, N. (2009) The Semiotics of Typography in Literary Texts. A Multimodal Approach. Orbis Litterarum. 64: 2 141-160 [WWW] Available from: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1600-0730.2008.00949.x/full [Accessed 03/04/2011]