These exercises will help us build a working knowledge of interpretive practices by testing our hypotheses against visualizations in Voyant. The goal of this exercise is to establish a working knowledge of interpretive discovery and textual analysis by coming to grips with patterns in Austen’s Pride and Prejudice.
Visualize word trends in Austen’s novel to compare the relationship between money, marriage, fortune, and wealth. Is there a relationship between marriage and money in the novel? If so, what evidence exists to characterize it? Why does wealth deviate from the observed trend? Why do mentions of fortune appear immediately following marriage and money?
If our initial argument is that a relationship exists between money and wealth in the novel, how might we explain that relationship? What causes this relationship? Interpretations work through processes, patterns, and causal relationships in this manner.
Explore Mr. Collins’s proposal to Elizabeth. Can you identify groups of similar words and explain their connection? Does any language stand out? Meaningful patterns in word choice are also known instances of diction.