Midterm Project: Text Analysis of Pride and Prejudice

Introduction

This project explores Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen using Voyant Tools, a digital humanities text analysis platform. The primary objective is to examine word frequency trends, collocations, and overarching thematic patterns within the novel. By employing computational tools, this project provides insights into the text that may not be immediately apparent through traditional reading methods. Through this approach, we can better understand how Austen constructs themes of class, marriage, and gender dynamics in early 19th-century England.

Sources

The dataset for this project comes from Project Gutenberg, an open-access repository of public domain texts. The full-text version of Pride and Prejudice was downloaded and uploaded to Voyant Tools for analysis. Since the raw text includes common English words that do not contribute to thematic analysis, automatic stopword removal was applied to filter out function words such as “the,” “and,” and “of.” Additionally, custom stopwords such as “mr,” “mrs,” and “said” were removed to ensure that the analysis focused on meaningful content rather than dialogue markers or character titles. The final cleaned dataset enabled a more precise exploration of significant themes and character relationships within the novel.

Processes

The project utilizes Voyant Tools, a digital humanities platform that allows for interactive text analysis. Several analytical methods were applied to the text. The word cloud (Cirrus) feature visualizes the most frequently used words, helping to identify dominant themes. The trends graph tracks the occurrence of specific words across the text, revealing how themes develop over the course of the novel. Additionally, collocation analysis examines which words commonly appear together, shedding light on relationships between characters and ideas. These techniques were selected because they provide a quantitative lens through which to explore literary themes, complementing traditional literary analysis by uncovering patterns that may not be immediately visible through close reading.

Presentation

The project is hosted on a WordPress website under a Carleton College subdomain at qiana.sites.carleton.edu/midterm. The website consists of two main sections: a Voyant Tools visualization page where the text analysis is embedded, and some key findings briefly introducing the project theme. The design of the site prioritizes clarity and accessibility, ensuring that viewers can engage with the data visualization intuitively. The embedded visualization allows for interactive exploration, giving users the ability to modify parameters and conduct their own textual analysis.

Significance

The analysis of Pride and Prejudice through Voyant Tools provides meaningful insights into the structure and themes of the novel. The word “Elizabeth” appears most frequently, reinforcing her role as the central character. Other frequently occurring words such as “Darcy,” “Bennet,” “marriage,” and “family” highlight the novel’s preoccupation with social status and romantic relationships. Through collocation analysis, we observe that words related to wealth and class are often linked to discussions of marriage, revealing the socio-economic underpinnings of relationships in Austen’s world.

From a digital humanities perspective, this project demonstrates how computational tools enhance literary studies. Unlike data science, which focuses on numerical patterns and predictive models, digital humanities integrates computational methods with cultural and literary interpretation. This project does not seek to replace traditional close reading but rather to augment it, offering a macro-level perspective on how language patterns shape meaning. By applying digital methods, we can reveal trends and connections that enrich our understanding of classic literature, showcasing the potential of digital humanities in literary scholarship.

Conclusion

This project illustrates how text analysis tools like Voyant can offer new ways of interpreting literature by providing visual and statistical insights into textual patterns. By examining word frequency and collocations, we gain a deeper understanding of Austen’s themes and character dynamics. The integration of WordPress and Voyant Tools ensures that the analysis is both interactive and accessible, making this project a valuable example of how digital humanities methodologies can expand the study of classic texts. The completed project is available at qiana.sites.carleton.edu/midterm, where users can explore the embedded visualization and midterm report.