[Séminaire Humanités Numériques] #6 Charting the Evolution of Early Modern Drama Aesthetics: A Computational Approach

Luca Giovannini - University of Potsdam

In recent years, computational literary studies (CLS) — the study of literary artifacts through quantitative and computational methods — has emerged as a central pillar of the digital humanities, and now boasts a robust infrastructure, including dedicated journals, conferences, and research communities. By employing 'data-driven' and 'data-assisted' approaches (Escobar Varela 2022), scholars have explored a wide range of questions in narratology, stylistics, and genre theory, developing a broad palette of methods to address such tasks (cf. Schöch, Dudar, and Fileva 2023).

A particularly compelling research strand within CLS focuses on the charting of literary history, often drawing on models and concepts from cultural evolution studies. In this talk, I will present an application of CLS methods to investigate the evolution of early modern European drama (ca. 1550–1700). By applying computational techniques to a multilingual corpus of plays, I will demonstrate how we can empirically follow the development of different theatrical aesthetics across the continent and how this can confirm or challenge traditional scholarship on the topic.


Luca Giovannini works as research coordinator for the Digital Humanities Network at the University of Potsdam. After studying in Turin, Warwick, and Cologne, he is currently completing a joint PhD in comparative literature in Potsdam and Padua. His research interests include computational literary studies and cultural analytics.

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